TRACKLIST

No Point Of View
I Live Alone
Chronic Disease
Save Me
Back In Town
Wild Man
Still Street
You'll Cut It Fine
Don't Talk Away
It's Too Late

LP - Nitro/Demolition Derby Records - Belgium
Year: 2002
www.discogs.com/it/release/2592112-The-Chronics-Its-Too-Late

Razorcake: razorcake.org/archive-chronics-the-its-too-late/

2002, the Bigtakeover, issue 52: A different band of Chronics – these folks are Italians, though their lp is on a Dutch label. The schtick for this lot is a more basic style of punk rock based on fast rhythm playing, pop hooks, and lots of nice frosting guitar leads tastefully done. The singer sounds like Stiv Bators’ (Dead Boys) kid brother – slightly less outrageous and less talented, but kinda young, loud and snotty. I could imagine that if this record was made at a slightly more sympathetic studio it coulda been fabulous. As it is, some edges have been blunted a bit and it leaves some potential unfulfilled. But if they get a second chance and learn from this one, the result could be terrific.

Smashin’ transistors (2002) - See! I told ya there were a couple currently functioning band using the name Chronics. This is the Italian band that had a single on Rip-Off a while back. If y'all will excuse me for a minute I'll dig through me 45's and see if I can find it. I know I have it and haven't played it in awhile. There were a few stinkers to come out on the label around that time. I don't know if the reason why I don't remember what it sounded like is because it's one of them dogs or I'm confusing it with one that was. I hope it's the latter cuz I really dig this. I have a BIG soft spot in my heart for Power-pop. Always have. I was right at that age when that stuff was being marketed as something new and cool and being an jr. highschool kid wanted something NEW and COOL! I didn't want fucking Journey or Christopher Cross. The problem was for every CHEAP TRICK there were a thousand Fotomaker's. Sheeesh! It was called POWER POP! Even bands that had an edge lost it when they fell into the marketing machine. Ever heard the Nervous Eaters album on Elektra? How about Teenage Head after they added the s to their name. Ick! All the power was replaced with a vaseline on the lense effect. This is like the REAL KIDS...but instead of the guitars going chinka-chinka-chink they go "Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-Rrrrrrrrrrr." Don't get me wrong I like the Real Kids as much as the next guy but this is a lot more trashed out sounding,...alot more drunk and desperate. If you dug the post Teengenerate stuff like the Raydios or the Tweezers you my find this worth picking up.

Blankgeneration (JG) - The only other Chronics record I have heard is their Rip Off Records single. That was recorded in May of 1998 while the LP was recorded in March of 2001. That's almost three years and in that time The Chronics have gone from just okay, do downright phenomenal. In all honesty, I was not moved at all by It's Too Late after the first few spins. It sounded rather mediocre. The production was nothing special, the songs were kind of slow and plodded along, and I was getting ready to file it away on the shelf where it probably would have wound up being played about once a year or so.
Thankfully, for some reason, I kept on spinning it and have now come to realize that The Chronics have somehow made a brilliant record. The production is still nothing unique, and yes, the songs are, on average, way slower than the Rip Off single. It makes sense that Rip Off wouldn't want to put this out. The songs are very basic, with minimal chord changes, and the vocals are "sung" a little more than on their prior work. The clincher is the fact that The Chronics have bumped up the pop factor by about 10 times in their songwriting. The best comparison that I can come up with would be to The Zeros. Just like The Zeros, The Chronics songs are poppy, generally mid-paced with basic song structures, the vocals are slightly accented and the songs are criminally catchy. The Chronics are probably a little bit tougher than The Zeros, so throw in a little bit of the early NYC sound ala Heartbreakers or New York Dolls and you'll have a little bit better of an idea of what to expect. It's Too Late is to their Rip Off single as 16 Wires is to the early Registrators' singles, if that makes any sense to you. The Chronics have put out a huge sleeper hit of an album which I'd highly recommend to any Blank Gen-head out there. Top ten material!

No front teeth - Wow... this is brilliant. What vocal lines! What guitars! This is easily in my top 3 releases of this year... easily. It reminds me a lot of DEE DEE RAMONE's solo stuff - especially the vocal lines and also a lot of THE REAL KIDS. The production on this record is fantastic and really does the music justice - it's got such a full sound and great volume. The CHRONICS are Italian and Italians are so good at doing that whole RAMONES thing, but to be honest that can get a little boring (Hey, I'm Italian myself so I can say that!) but with THE CHRONICS it's a totally different story - obviously they are influenced by the RAMONES but they really do have their own sound- and a great sound that is. This entire album is a winner.

Splendid E-zine (Andrew Magilow) - Even before you put the needle to the vinyl, you’ll recognize that The Chronics have an impressive musical resume. For starters, they're Italian. Their debut LP is on the ultra-hip, Belgian-based Demolition Derby/Nitro label. They dispense no-holds barred garage rock. Hey, they've even released a 7" on Rip Off Records! Sounds like an overseas success story waiting to happen...
So, do The Chronics deliver the goods? Well, that all depends on what interests you. This Italian trio plows through a retro influenced lo-fi shindig that adds bits of pop and tasty garage rock-inspired mayhem. The band's tried and true punk formula delivers each track with a raw confidence that'll go down well with listeners who want a hearty garage-rock fix; imagine The Sonics meeting up with Rocket From the Crypt sans horns, then tracking down their cousins The Zeros for an attitude adjustment, and you'll have a good idea of what The Chronics are all about.
"No Point of View" and "It's Too Late" stagger through a boisterous display of primeval rock that strips out all pretension, leaving you with the four primary ingredients of any good punk tune: guitar, bass, drums and throaty vocals. There are enough catchy choruses to pique your pop sensibilities, but The Chronics don't water down their music, punching through tune after tune with a determined musical ferocity.
The problem is, as you skim through each track, it's difficult to remember what you just heard. Either The Chronics are so good that they've created the ultimate cohesive listening experience, or their three-chord rock recalls too many other bands that have wandered down a similar garage rock road. But if you're simply looking for some no-bullshit garage tunes, you won't go wrong ponying up some cash and checking out this trio of Italian rock fiends.

www.lowcut.dk - This is the Italian version of the Chronics not to be confused with the Swedish name brothers on Bad Afro. Both have an out spoken pop quality to them but were as the Swedes sports a certain soul feel this trio play plain punk rock New York style…which I like better. Touches of the Real Kids, Dead Boys, Heartbreakers and even Scotland’s own the Undertones but the Chronics has a certain quality and sound all of their own. Really cool and simple and very listenable. All 10 songs are written by singer and guitar player Stefano Toma and he’s done an excellent job as the record seems to get better and better each time I give it a spin. Perfect for a 70cl of Menabrea lager and an issue of Hate comics on a rainy day!