Review: UK band The Milk Men’s single ‘Gabba Gabba Hey’

Some of the best songs come out of love; romantic, platonic, lost. The Milk Men out of the UK love American Punk rock. Specifically, they love The Ramones. Their newest single “Gabba Gabba Hey” is a direct reference to a sign brought out at the end of The Ramones performances of “Pinhead.” It’s certainly not just in reference that The Milk Men honor American punk rock and The Ramones though, with this single and music video delivering strong retro vibes that celebrate the sound of American punk rock.

Simplicity is at the core of “Gabba Gabba Hey,” with an all substance no frills approach to rock and roll. The “walk” style riff and vintage guitar tones hit with a familiar warmth, and along with the upbeat and impactful drums deliver an irresistible toe-tap. The lyrics reference the heyday of The Ramones and their time at CBGB’s with the vocals delivered with a slight punk edginess that honors its influences. My favorite parts of the track however, are the bass delivering depth and melody subtly in the background, and the straightforward but very fun guitar solo. The production is also at its core simple. The band wanted to capture their live sound, and this track does deliver a lot of that live energy. Every instrument is distinctly listenable, but gels well with the rest of the track. They were really able to find the right balance between “live energy” and inherent listenability.

The video available for this song doesn’t quite reach the heights of the track itself, but clearly embraces a low budget feel, and is absolutely the better for it. Essentially consisting of video of the band members playing separately, the costumes and pure corny charisma of this video make it an enjoyable watch. The Milk Men continue to deliver a fun, vintage sound with their music video and single “Gabba Gabba Hey.” Their clear love of the American punk genre elevates this straightforward track with great energy, and retro tone.