The music of Milan area band SLANG is kind of like a slang word: something a bit too uncouth for certain situations, but nonetheless something easily identifiable. These guys grew up listening to bands ranging from Italian punk Porno Riviste (The Porn Mags) and Gerson as well as 80’s hard rock and the ballads of bands like Guns n’ Roses, and it definitely comes out in their music. The five songs on their debut self-produced and self-titled EP could have come straight out of that era—totally infused with the grit and energy of the 80’s underground. Think “That’s When I Reach For My Revolver” from Mission to Burma fused with the brazen energy of a NOFX song and you’ve got the opening track on the album “Brivido” (“Chill”). Then right after that, you’ve got the soft sound of the piano leading into a slow build up to “Dove cade la neve” (“Where the snow falls”)—a proper punk rock ballad. Nice range and balance for a debut album. Originally started back in 2007 by founding member and guitarist TITTY, SLANG had to go through a few lineup changes before they were solidified. But finally, with the addition of JeanLu on guitar, the group got their stuff together. As they stand now, SLANG includes TITTY on guitar, PISO on drums, HIG on bass and backing vocals, and JEANLU on guitar. They had a great run this year in Emergenza Festival Italia, putting on a killer show at Latte + in Brescia. Check Emergenza.net for more news on the band.