Our take: It’s been a while since I’ve checked in with Barcelona’s Prison Affair, but not much has changed on Demo IV, which features the same warped, Coneheads-inspired egg punk I remember from their previous records. Prison Affair has become a hugely popular band, and we sell their records by the bucketful here at Sorry State. I find this interesting because, while most bands that reach Prison Affair’s level of popularity have charismatic and singalong-ready vocals, Prison Affair’s sound is murky and the vocals are usually bathed in effects and buried at the bottom of a dense and chaotic mix. That’s still the case with Demo IV, but god damn those riffs sure are catchy. Actually, while listening to Demo IV, I had the revelation that these are basically rockabilly songs, centered on shuffle beats and twangy guitar hooks, but wrapped in that distinctive egg punk-style production that makes you feel like you’re trapped in an episode of Spongebob Squarepants. The production style is clearly based on the Coneheads template, but the songwriting here is totally different and very much Prison Affair’s own thing. I know a lot of people totally write off this style of music, but I’m a firm believer in the wisdom of the crowd, and the numbers don’t lie… Prison Affair has something here, and it’s apparent on Demo IV.

• Label: Erste Theke Tontraeger
• Format Type: 7"
• Genre: punk