There’s something about the Antioxidants. The first time you might notice it is on the song “There’s Something About Katie,” which is the hidden track on their debut album, Niles Canyon.
This is a song with dragons eating mermaids, pirates raping dragons, brawling penguins and a “giant-ass donkey.” It’s funny as hell, but the weirdest thing is, it’s kind of sweet, and…sincere? Yup.
That’s the weird contradiction of this South Bay band, which features Dylan Gutierrez on guitar and vocals, the awesomely named Jack Ryan on bass and Trevor Hunt on drums. They clearly grew up on Blink 182 pop-punk, and have a knack for it. But underneath the catchy riffs and zombie references, the Antioxidants have real heart. “Andrew Oxidant,” maybe their best song (Hunt says the mysterious name has nothing to do with the song, it’s an inside joke the band had made up about what they would name the Antioxidants’ love child), is a pretty moving ode to the straight edge lifestyle. For sheer mosh power, there are songs like “No Parking in the Girls’ Locker Room” and “Quentin Tarantino.”
The Antioxidants play Nickel City on Friday, April 6 at 6pm.
.The Antioxidants: South Bay Pop-Punk With Snark, Sincerity… And Mermaids
