Frantic City

One of the most popular Canadian punk rock/new wave bands of the ‘80s, Hamilton, Ontario’s Teenage Head released their sophomore long-player Frantic City in 1980, opening with a cover of the 1958 Johnny O'Keefe tune “Wild One” — this version would go on to influence Iggy Pop’s 1986 cover of the same tune. The following “Somethin’ On My Mind” bumps the style up a decade to reveal the band’s adoration of sunny ‘60s California pop with nasal-inflected vocals akin to Beach Boys imitators like the Sunrays. It’s not until “Total Love” where we hear some of that distorted guitar-punk heard on Teenage Head’s self-titled 1979 debut album. “Let’s Shake” and “Those Things You Do” both flirt with the same kind of rockabilly pop that the Stray Cats made popular the next year — they even do a solid cover of Eddie Cochran’s “Somethin’ Else” and Vince Taylor’s “Brand New Cadillac.” Conversely, the punchy “Infected” plays like a Canadian version of the Ramones, while a live cut of “Disgusteen” shows the band’s prowess while playing in front of an audience.