One of my favourite records of 2010 was without a doubt Dead Ghosts’ long-awaited debut on Florida’s Dying. But already in January Austrian label Bachelor put out its near-rival Apocalypse Now & Then by Die Ersten Menschen. It’s their first LP and any other information about them is very hard to find – it’s just the Bachelor press release repeated everywhere. It’s clear that they are from Germany at least, and the 13 tracks on the record are fast and fierce garage punk with plenty of fuzz guitar. They even got Tim of Crypt Records to master it for them! But this is not a revival record, these three guys are way too busy beating Ty Segall at his own game. It just happens to be so good it will remind you of The Savages, The Dearly Beloved and The Human Expression. The mastering is an integral part here, Die Ersten Menschen don’t come across as vintage equipment geeks, but the record just SOUNDS damp and dirty. There are only four tracks that hit the 2-minute mark here, and it actually plays at 45rpm. If you want to hear a mainstream rock album, you may of course play it at 33, which brings it down to a pace most bands could handle. My favourites are the chilling “Found & Lost” with it’s crazy fuzz solo, “Disaster #3” and the infectious “One Little Girl”.
The red vinyl is probably sold out by now, but you should get it anyway. Hear “You Better Satisfy” below.
