A couple of weeks before the release of “No Holiday,” Kim Shattuck, the Muffs’ leader died. The album was presumably meant to be the beloved punk band’s final statement. If you listen to single “A Lovely Day Boo Hoo,” without crying, hearing Shattuck’s voice singing in a softer, sweeter tone that contrasts greatly from her signature yell, you may be lacking something. Of course, this record does still have plenty of rockers like “Down Down Down,” “Pollyanna “and “The Kids Have Gone Away.” But it is the quieter moments that are the most stirring. Closer “Sky,” particularly lands hard. Kim Shattuck was one of the best power-pop writers around and she was cut down too soon.
After reissuing The Muffs’ three acclaimed first titles (The Muffs, Blonder And Blonder, andHappy Birthday To Me), it’s only fitting that the brand new Muffs album makes its way out into the world via Omnivore Recordings.
No Holiday, The Muffs’ first new album in five years, is a celebration of everything the band has always stood for, and continues to be. Bassist Ronnie Barnett says “I think this new album represents the depth of our band like none of our others. It could have easily been aptly called The Many Moods Of The Muffs. All of our strengths: melody, big rock, sweetness, nastiness… All on display and readily apparent. The three of us, after all these years, are a family. The love between us is well represented here. We laid it all out there on this one.”
Kim Shattuck (songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist) adds “I wrote the songs between 1991 and 2017. We decided to have a long album and use songs that had been in my arsenal but were weeded out for super concise albums. They were all great songs and we didn’t want them to go to waste. No way!” .Kim Shattuck has been described as ‘a force of nature.’ She was even more than that to people like me who love her music. She was a rockin’ performer and a masterful songwriter. It feels like she’s left us too soon.
The Fat Angel Sings 