The Judas Bunch

As you’ve probably noticed, this is like the third country based feature that I’ve done on this site. At first it was Gangstagrass, then it was a feature of the Johnny Cash mashup with Eazy-E and now it’s The Judas Bunch. Seriously, this is a total coincidence, folks. The Judas Bunch is a punk rock group from Sweden that consists of members of other groups that they broke off from and started their own band. As they stated on their myspace page

“Early 2008, five punks in Stockholm betrayed their former bands. They wanted to play together. And so, they formed The Judas Bunch. The music is punkrock, in the one-two-three-four fashion.”

Okay, when some people hear the words Swedish and music, there are some bands that would come to mind. Like Abba, Ace of Base, the Cardigans, Rednex or Eagle Eye Cherry. Okay…maybe just me then. To be fair, Sweden is also the home of “D-Beat” or “Discore Beat” which is actually another interesting subject. Although The Judas Bunch is from the same place as the home of the D-Beat, those are where the similarities end. The Judas Bunch is what I would consider a mixture of country as well as punk rock. After doing some research, I found out Sweden does have an equivalent to country called Dansband. So, I guess it’s they’re into Dansband and Psychobilly or something.

“Breaking Me”

When I first heard this, the first thought that came to my mind is that “Okay, this sounds like Swedish ‘Punkabilly.’ ” I liked the guitar work.

“Always Had a Reason”

The best way to describe how this sounds is “country pop-punk” kind of like Nofx backing up Dolly Parton. Seriously, I thought I heard some “fiddle” mixed low into the mix.

“Using Your Fists”

Directly to the point 4/4 punk rock that I’m accustomed to and they’re some syncopated moments that change the arrangement that’s refreshing to the arrangement.

Whatever you would consider this band, it is what it is. Honestly, their sound had to grow on me. I would recommend this band for anyone who is a fan of country and want to expand the horizons of people they know that listen to punk and vice versa.