Death Ridge Boys - "Boots On The Streets" 12-Inch

Originally recorded and released in the height of the pandemic as a cassette / bandcamp only release. The vinyl version of this comes back fully remixed and remastered making these powerful tunes sound better than ever! Side A finds four original numbers of anthemic Oi! with empowering staunchly anti-fascist lyrics dealing with taking our boots to the streets, a nod to a bygone era of old Portland, and how it’s darkest before the dawn.

The B-side holds three covers, very atypical of a band this style, though they nail each of them with a touch of what makes DEATHRIDGE BOYS stick out of the crowd in the first place. They chose Big Boys, 7 Seconds and most surprisingly, a fantastic jaw dropping version “Mannequin” by Wire. Not common for a band who’s obvious go to’s of inspiration are the standards (Blitz, Cock Sparrer, and some French oi! a la Camera Silens), but it shows how versatile this band can be. DRB’s have firmly planted their boots in the Portland punk scene over the years and seem to get better with each release as this one indicates, showing the diversity, maturity, raw catchiness, and heartfelt sing alongs of a band hitting their stride.