Listen up, Memphis. The Subteens were playing pop-punk before pop-punk was a thing. They were on the scene to have fun in the ’90s when most other bands they shared stages with were serious to the point of depression. Front man Mark Akin was legendary for playing encores wearing nothing but a guitar. They called it quits in 2004; soon after, Akin got sober and became a successful personal trainer.
Now, singer/guitarist/songwriter Akin, bassist Jay Hines, and drummer John Bonds are back at it with the same blistering pace, newly introspective lyrics, and a promise to remain fully clothed. Produced by J.D. Reager and released on Back To The Light records, Vol. 4: Dashed Hopes & Good Intentions rocks as hard as anything in the ‘Teen’s extensive catalog.
The video for “Hard to Be Lonely Tonight” uses clips from The Last Man on Earth. Starring Vincent Price as the titular final dude, the 1964 horror was the first of three films based on Richard Matheson’s proto-zombie story I Am Legend. (Charlton Heston would reprise Price’s role seven years later in The Omega Man, and Will Smith got his turn in 2007.) The video transforms Price’s troubles with swarming vampire-zombies into a metaphor for staying in on a Friday night. Let the rock begin!
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