Sleeveens - National Anthem [LP]

A Dublin-born, stylistically-restless but fundamentally punk troubadour, Stefan Murphy emerged in the early 00s under the moniker The Mighty Stef, which became a full-band concern around 2007, wrapped up in 2016, and was followed by a short stint as Count Vaseline. Then, in 2019, Murphy met a gentleman by the name of James Mechan, who happened to be Stiff Little Fingers' guitar tech. That last part is relevant, as any current convert to the band we're discussing here can testify. And so is the first part, as Mechan wanted to record Murphy at his Nashville studio. Those plans were derailed by the pandemic but not forgotten when Murphy moved to Nashville in 2022. Work commenced, the pair were joined by Ryan Sweeney (of Cheap Time) on drums and Eli Steele (Sweet Knives) on lead guitar. The result was The Sleeveens, named after an Irish slang for "trixter"... not the earthly type responsible for a plastic Aztec death whistle on your exhaust pipe but rather the otherworldly one that temporarily vanishes the keys to the vehicle. The Sleeveens' debuted on 7-inch with 2023's "Give My Regards To The Dancing Girls" on Sweeney's Sweet Time label and "UFO's" b/w The Four Tops' "Bernadette" on Interstate 94 Recordings in 2024, followed by their fantastic self-titled LP on Dirtnap Records the same year, which gained traction on independent radio thanks to bangers like "Metallica Font" and "Aretha Franklin". An official Gonerfest 22 inclusion, the band has also shared stages with G.G. King, Schizophonics, Total Hell, TV Crime, The Chats, The Lemonheads and many others. Last year's "Downtown"/"Drowning" (the latter a Greg Cartwright/R. Sound cover) 7-inch landed via Goner Records, who have now graced us with the real reason we are here, which would be album #2, National Anthem. This latest should and could comfortably sit on the proverbial shelf of rock history next to all-timers with titles like Even Serpents Shine, Eternally Yours, All Rise, Setting Suns, Radios Appear, Nobody's Heroes, Sorry Ma, I Forgot To Take Out The Trash, and Rocket To Russia.