Local Album Review // Ralphie's Gone Blind // Man's Ruin
4/5 stars
There's a certain magic in being able to create something that can stand toe-to-toe with the art you grew up on. Ralphie's Gone Blind knows this, because they did it, damn it. The punk rockers from North East have successfully crafted a full-length love letter to the music and era that helped shape them. There's the rough and tumble sounds and viewpoints similar to NYHC bands like Agnostic Front and Murphy's Law on display early in the record giving way to anthemic choruses fit for bands like the Bouncing Souls, Pennywise, or Street Dogs. The gritty and tougher sounds soon scrape away revealing a kid who just wants to sing along with his friends. One underlying key to Ralphie's Gone Blind is a sense of deeply rooted nostalgia, a longing and appreciation for days gone by – most explicitly outlined in the penultimate track "B Sides and Movie Lines." The quintet finds themselves grappling with the acceptance (or downright refusal) of middle age, while staying true to the tempos and rhythms that they hold dear. Top tracks include the titular track "Man's Ruin" and the one-two punch of emotional resonance in "Second Chances" and "Breathe Again."
