The Saul Goodmans – That’s ‘Saul’ folks! (EP Review)

Today’s review features the Aussie band The Saul Goodmans new EP “That’s ‘Saul’ folks!” Out now on Spotify. I really enjoyed the band’s campy bio so I’ve decided to include most of it here, thinking you might like it too!

“Sometime in 2021 during Melbournes’ infamous ‘viral lockdowns’, twins Zach Rembrandt and Solly Marshall-Radcliffe decided to live on the edge and defy the restrictions by getting together once a week for a cheeky jam. (naughty naughty!)

Starting off playing a few rootsy covers just for fun as a duet, a bit of The Stones, Hank 111 and a bit of (gasp) Dwight Yokum, they soon started making some good noise.

Zach Rembrandt is formerly of plenty of bands you’ve never heard of but with ties to some of the greats, such as Bubblegum Screw(UK), Candy & The Dead (UK, w/ex Christian Death members), The Prehistorics (Sydney, w/ex Radio Birdman members).

Fast forward to 2025, and the lads now have a full band featuring Zach on vocals/guitar, Sol on Vocals/guitar, Kim Wexler on bass/vocals, and Tuco Salamanca on drums. Also with a stack of punkified roots’n’roll original songs (sprinkled with some alt-country, and some paprika) penned by Mr. Rembrandt himself, some local gigs under their belt and even a 4 track EP ‘That’s Saul Folks; out now on digital mediums, these lads and laddettes are all systems go!

Influences? Johnny Thunders, The Saints, The Supersuckers, Bob Dylan, Jason & The Scorchers to name a few

Hope to see you see soon, that’s ‘Saul’ folks!”

So let’s have a listen …

The EP kicks off with “Iggy (Is My Fwend)”. Nice guitar riffage over a two chord opening vamp, followed immediately by a chord change and a singer that sounds like Iggy Pop. “Iggy is really my friend, since way back when!” Very punk feel but with guitars sounding like an Ozark Mountain Daredevils bluegrass country rock riff. Reminds me of the blues in that way – single note guitar lines being played over and signifying a particular chord. But here, done in a more punk bluegrass boogie style. I like the simple lead guitar solo, which nicely fits the high energy of the track.

“Alcohol” starts with a western feel delaying guitar, then falls into the verse. With the memorable chorus “When I get home I have to drink alcohol.” Again I like the tasteful but simple lead guitar, which fits the style of this music. I do find the lyrics get a little repetitive in this song. But there’s sort of a nice swirling feel created by the delayed guitars and rotating vocals.

The third song on the EP is “Shitkicker”. This one starts off as more of a rocker. Leading to the chorus: “I’m a shitkicker.” Which I suppose could be a good or bad thing? The song is about the oppression of the modern worker: “I’m working like a slave for the minimum wage.” Explicit warning.

The final song on the EP is “Good Intention Town” which starts off with a dreamy instrumental track – heavily reverb-ed guitars in a downward motion. “I feel obligated to get drunk and lose my mind.” I like this lead guitarist.

Very tasteful leads. That alone could attract listeners to this band. The vocals remind me of some Scottish rock bands like The Proclaimers. The lyrics in all these songs are sung with a distinctive Aussie brogue. I love the punk feel of this band and the mix of different styles and genres on display.

I do feel, however, that some of the songwriting is a little too in your face. Some people like or even love that, so just a warning to the wicked.

SCORE/Good:  I love the lead guitarist in this band – nothing fancy, but everything tasteful. If you’re into good ethnic genre-defying rock, this might be your band. Very punk meets bluegrass boogie. Much love, Beth

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