Black Adidas

Black Adidas isn’t in the business of nostalgia.

Harnessing the blue-collar aesthetic of his native Burbank, CA, Black Adidas represents songwriter Courtney Ranshaw’s need to finally commit the songs in his head to tape rather than leaving them to languish, unheard and unused, in his mind. Realizing that music is a skill that often improves with age, Ranshaw took a cue from James Alex of Beach Slang and decided to continue writing punk songs even though he wasn’t in his early twenties.

Accordingly, his musical fluency is unmistakable in his debut full-length. It churns out rugged punk rock, rich in melodic complexity and roguish delivery, nodding slyly to its origins without beating listeners over the head with replica or reproduction. In other words, it remains distinct while appealing to a broader audience. “You’re not going to sell a car with my music,” laughs Ranshaw, “But you might have it playing in the next Penelope Spheeris movie.”

Like flipping through your older sibling’s record collection, Black Adidas’ new self-titled record comes across as a tribute to many rare and unique threads in rock history. With gravelly vocals and crunchy guitars, Ranshaw invites listeners on a sonic victory lap around the best version of punk history, paying homage to his own influences while carefully acknowledging their sway over a generation of musicians.