Smalltown Tigers - Crush On You (2024) Hi-Res

Italy’s all-woman punk power trio Smalltown Tigers have finally been unleashed and release their debut full length album, Crush On You. With a ferocious blend of the Ramones, The Runaways and plenty more besides evolving into an angry and barnstorming cacophony of garage-punk, this is a glorious racket for all to behold.

There is definitely something stirring in the waters of Italy as a new breed of hard-hitting punk-infused garage rock bands emerge from those beautifully coiffured landscapes. And leading lights in this movement right now appear to be the all-woman punk power trio Smalltown Tigers hailing from the adrenaline infused nightlife of Rimini.

Smalltown Tigers was started in 2018 by neighbourhood friends Valli (bass and vocals) and Monty (guitar and vocals) who shared a love for punk rock which also extended into power pop, heavier rock and so much more besides. With the help of drummer Antonio Perugini they recorded a mini album, Five Things, in 2021 which signposted exactly the kind of direction they wanted to go in with vintage gear and key influences of the likes of the Ramones and the Heartbreakers mixing seamlessly with the surf guitar sounds of their predecessors.

With Castel then coming in on drums and vocals on a permanent basis, things really started to take shape and through the inevitable isolation of lockdown, a batch of new songs started to emerge which would be road-tested as soon as it became possible. But then with another stroke of good fortune, Smalltown Tigers were taken under the enviable wing of The Damned, firstly to open for them on their triumphant reunion tour of 2022 and then on a European trek in the spring of 2023. And I can confirm, having witnessed that reunion tour in Manchester, Smalltown Tigers met the challenge of playing an early opening set head-on with a short yet blistering performance which most certainly caught the attention of the gathering crowd on what proved to be a very special night at the Apollo.

Once the touring commitments were completed, the band headed into the studio to finally capture this bunch of heavily road-tested songs that eventually morphed into this beast of a punk-infused garage rock album called Crush On You. But one thing is for sure, Smalltown Tigers are not a one-trick pony and Crush On You is absolute testament to this. Of course, with the legacy that the band draw on it is without question a raw, primal, gritty and beast of a racket to behold. But also shining through is a strong sense of melody with some big hooks and a nod back to some much earlier influences which often found their way into so many of the greatest songs from the punk era.