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What Hi-Fi?
The 9 best punk tracks even audiophiles should listen to
By Alastair Stevenson,
4 days ago
Punk rock isn’t a genre you often associate with high-end audio testing and there’s a good reason for that.
The punk rock movement is more famous for high energy, visceral authenticity and simplicity than anything else. This is why many of the most famous songs were recorded with low-grade mics and tapes in whatever garage or town hall the band was playing that particular day. And while that’s awesome, it means as a genre it’s not usually favoured by audiophiles, or particularly great for testing hi-fi products.
In fact, jump to our forums and you’ll see most of our loyal readers favour punk's arch-nemesis prog rock, which is conversely famous for noodly, complex arrangements and clever studio wizardry – if that sounds more like your bag, make sure to jump over to best prog rock test tracks guide.
So it may not be the best genre for auditioning products, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it, especially as punk is a diverse beast full of great tracks that any music fan should at least sample. Which is why we’ve penned this guide, where our team of audio experts detail the punk rock songs they regularly listen to.
As always, if you think we’ve missed any, make sure to get in touch via email or on our forums and social media channels and we’ll make sure to check them out!
Dead Kennedys – Holiday In Cambodia
By Alastair Stevenson
As punk rock bands go, the Dead Kennedys are pretty much royalty at this point and it should be no surprise that one of the band’s most famous songs, Holiday in Cambodia, is a favourite among the What Hi-Fi? team.
There are actually two versions of the song, the first available as a single originally recorded in the 1980s. We normally listen to the better known re-recorded version, which can be heard on the band’s famous Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables album.
The reason for this is it's longer, and features a surf-rock influenced guitar intro whose distorted wails and vibrato effects are a joy to listen to. The album version also has a slightly faster tempo and catchy guitar solo that you won’t find on the original, making it a generally more fun, and longer lasting listen. This, plus its bopping tempo make it a great intro to punk, sure to get you pogo dancing with the best of them.
What happens if you mix punk with the musical stylings of Johnny Cash and the Rolling Stones? Social Distortion, that’s what.
The band is one of the big names to come out of the Orange County hardcore scene from the late 1970s and early ’80s and has a diverse catalogue of amazing tracks to enjoy. But, if we had to pick one it would be the band’s iconic Story Of My Life .
Originally released as a single, the song can also be found on Social Distortion’s self titled album. It’s a wonderful track that see’s frontman Mike Ness give one of the best vocal performances of his career. As Ness wistfully tells the tale of a man looking back on his life, regrets, warts and all, the track features a playful bouncing rock’n’roll tempo led by a rumbling bass and vibrato-heavy lead guitar.
These are then elevated with wailing backing vocals that have an almost gospel quality. The playful but sad tone and interlocking parts make the track a great entry point to punk for rock’n’roll fans.
Die-hard punk fans are already likely reaching for their torches and pitchforks after finding out of all The Clash's amazing songs, Lost In The Supermarket , is the What Hi-Fi? team's favourite.
And yes, we are willing to concede it is a very different type of song to the band’s more well known hits, including London Calling , Should I Stay Or Should I Go , I Fought The Law and Rock The Casbah – which are also great introductions to punk. But its softer nature will likely appeal to What Hi-Fi? readers who prefer softer music.
The song’s led by a cracking, almost soulful bassline that interlinks with a wonderfully catchy rhythm guitar and emotive lead guitar which footnotes and complements Mick Jones’ poppier vocals wonderfully.
As an added bonus, Joe Strummer’s socially conscious lyrics which detail the alienation and loneliness he felt growing up and living in modern society are more relevant than ever, making it a fantastic entry point to punk.
The Ramones are responsible for some of punk rock’s most memorable and iconic tracks. This is largely thanks to their tongue-in-cheek lyrics, humorous tone and catchy riffs, which follow a strict 4/4 time signature. Key examples include the iconic The KKK Took My Baby Away, I Wanna Be Sedated and Blitzkrieg Bop .
Pet Sematary is a slight deviation from this formula, featuring weeping, almost new-wave/goth-like keyboard lead and guitar parts. This plus Joey Ramone’s rumbling vocals and the strong rhythm section make it a great entry point to the poppier side of punk.
No punk rock track list would be complete without at least one ska-punk song, which in this case is Rancid’s addictively catchy Ruby Soho . Featured on the band’s famous ... And Out Come The Wolves album it has a brilliant music video anyone born before the late ’80s will recognise. It's also an outright earworm and an excellent example why Rancid is often viewed as a key reason ska and punk in general permeated to a more mainstream audience in the ’90s.
Featuring singer/guitarist Tim Armstrong’s iconic gruff vocals, the ska-punk classic has an addictive quality with strong changes in dynamics as it switches between palm-muted verses and a “can’t help but sing along” chorus. This makes Ruby Soho a great entry point to ska punk.
The Dead Boys have a reputation as one of rowdiest and most violent punk rock bands in history – which is pretty impressive considering they were one of the New York scene's founding groups, making their debut all the way back in 1975.
The song Sonic Reducer is a good example of this. The high energy, chaotic track is often considered a shiny example of punk’s soul, featuring high energy parts that create a cacophony of noise that’s hard not to fall in love with.
Featuring an opening guitar track that intentionally jumps between the right and left channels in a bid to put the listener on edge before erupting into the first growled verse, it will immediately get your blood pumping.
From there the rapid jumps in volume and energy between the palm-muted verses and high-octane chorus, which includes screaming lead guitar solos behind Stiv Bator’s menacing shouts. This makes it a great track for any music fan interested in punk’s early days.
The New York Dolls are often viewed as a “proto punk” band in the same way MC5 are, having formed in 1975. But in terms of attitude they’re about as punk rock as you can get, being among the first bands to actively dress androgynously on stage and challenge the social norms of the time.
Their song Personality Crisis is also viewed as one of the most iconic tracks of the genre, and one of the main reasons the band is credited as influencing everyone from the Misfits to Green Day .
The song’s a chaotic cacophony of noise with a cheeky, irreverent tone that will get even the most stoic of music fans bopping along and smiling.
Starting with a rocking rhythm guitar riff that rapidly adds a twinkling piano part, as well as rocking lead guitar licks and David Johansen’s iconic high energy, theatrical vocals, the track is a great for any rock’n’roll, pop or glam rock fan looking to get into punk.
Compared with most of the tracks on this list, City Of Angels is rather nicely produced. The hi-hat and cymbal are a bit brittle and insistent, but every punk track needs some spikiness and the recording is otherwise pretty smooth and really well-layered in terms of instruments and vocals.
Of course, The Distillers were always all about front-woman Brody Dalle, and the recording is detailed and dynamic enough to do justice to her grainy, raspy delivery, which rightfully takes centre stage. But, like any good punk track, the chorus demands that you stick your fist in the air and sing/yell along with the band.
Overall, this isn’t a particularly demanding track for your system, and it won’t be horribly exposed by a very revealing hi-fi in the way that many punk tracks are, but it does require plenty of pep to deliver that sweaty LA club energy.
The Offspring might unfortunately be best known for the incredibly annoying, chart-topping Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) , but the band has some proper punk rock bangers in its back catalogue. Top of that list, particularly for those of us who were teenagers in the mid-’90s, is Self Esteem – a brilliant track that combines self-pitying lyrics with an incongruously bouncy bass-led verse and a defiant, yell-it-at-the-top-of-your-voice chorus.
It would be great if the recording actually had some dynamic range to make the most of that chorus, and the delivery is so narrow that it sounds as if the track is being beamed directly into your brain, but these sorts of flaws are par for the course with punk. Some might say they’re even part of the charm. Whichever way you lean on such things, the awesomeness of Self Esteem cannot be denied. Besides, “The more you suffer, the more it shows you really care, right?”
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