Toledo Panic – Till The Work Is Done

Formed in Ventura, California in, Toledo Panic made a compelling entrance with a concise yet striking self-titled EP. Less than two years later they deliver their debut full-length, a confident twelve-track statement that already feels fully realized and ready to make its mark. Released on the reliable German DIY label Lionheart Records, Till The Work Is Done sits comfortably in the current wave of American street-punk and Oi! while carrying its own working-class stubbornness.

Til The Work Is Done finds itself among today’s wave of American street-punk/Oi!, but also owes a great deal to both the early days of British punk and the American scene. Like Blitz, the band brings melody to the mix, like Bonecrusher they bring an energetic urgency to their playing style and, above all else, they have the no-nonsense attitude that runs through the veins of every good working class American punk band (Shaved For Battle come immediately to mind).

I’ve always thought that the best oi! comes from people who know where they stand and don’t think twice about being proud of their work and of themselves. With tracks like Vanilla Town and Victim’s Victims, the band once again proves this concept by sticking to the same kind.

At just over thirty-seven minutes the album is lean and purposeful. Toledo Panic know exactly what they want this music to do, and they execute it with confidence.Till The Work Is Done is a remarkably assured debut — the kind of record that rewards both casual listens and repeated plays, and one that should sit easily alongside the better American street-punk releases.