1234 Go! US Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Returning with their first new music in 16 years, Unt is the latest (comeback?) album from lesser-known true punk lifers Pinhead Gunpowder. Often perceived as the side-project of Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, real ones will be quick to let you know that the first incarnation of the band back in the early 90s didn't even feature the songsmith, who would join during their second reformation, as they were never truly a band with a direct mission statement or cohesive through-line. In other words, they were about as punk as you can get in terms of ethos, camaraderie and disorganisation before even touching on the music. Having last performed live together at a benefit show at 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California on February 12, 2010, while more than a full decade would pass until all of their previous albums were reissued on vinyl in 2021, all of these moving pieces (many of which took shape during the COVID lockdowns) have seemingly been in service of their true return with Unt. As Armstrong confessed in a recent interview - "We haven't really made any plans outside of making an album - except for some fantasies about maybe doing some touring", it appears the pinheads haven't lost one iota of lackadaisical uncertainty, while this half-hour of frenetic punk-popcore reassures they haven't missed a sonic (d)beat either.