“Consumer Report” by The Submensas is a metaphorical driving song. Named after the magazine that calls out faulty products, “Consumer Report” also calls out the ever-expanding list of faulty products of the new American landscape. “Consumer Report” is one of our most fun songs to perform as it involves everyone in the band singing (shouting) as we musically mimic the panic of a malfunctioning car hurtling off a cliff. There are four verses to the song, each escalating the tension until the inevitable climax. Listen in stereo!

“Headache” is a classic punk song – it sounds right out of the ‘80s, cause it was written in the 80s, only never actually finished until recently. We needed a song for a stage play about punk in the 1980s, so we pulled this one out of the files and Jim put a pretty cool riff to it. When the Submensas reformed it was a natural fit. So it has the unique quality of being very old and yet our newest original song. Thematically, it is what it is, a song about angst and dreams unfulfilled, but it’s got a catchy refrain and a cascading drum montage by Darryl that really sells the song. Also a special shoutout to Vernon for a superb vocal arrangement. Plus, the final mastering was done by a Grammy-winning engineer!

“Reason Wrong” is the most Gang of Four-sounding song we have (because, you know, we’re trying to offer one of each flavor of punk). “Reason Wrong!” uses ‘reason’ as a verb to provide faux advice on how to succeed in life. The lyrics cite examples of faulty logic which succeed in notoriety, and then the song applies this motif to the modern phenomenon of ‘going viral’. The song, then, provides a bridge from the ‘80s, in which 2/3 of the song was written, to now, where we add a verse and update the arrangement. A special shout-out in this song goes out to our bassist Vernon, who laid down the original snarky bass riff back in the 80s. Jim channels Andrew Gill (RIP) with sustained guitar feedback that captures the jarring cognitive dissonance that this new-world counter-logic produces. The song itself was not formally recorded until 2023

“Love You” is a two-minute power-pop-punk song that is aptly named, though it is not the usual love song. It’s about carefree, untethered romance, but we’re not sure where the song comes down – is this a kiss-off song or an actual love song?. You can decide for yourself while dancing to the up-tempo beat with a guitar lead in the middle that simulates a brisk afternoon fling.

“Secret Panel” is a bit existentialist… a song that captures a frozen moment of epiphany, then looks at that moment from all angles. Each line is a quotable quote, leading up to the realization that every moment holds possibilities. With a guitar-hero lead anchoring it, this song showcases the Submensas’s rock roots. Featuring a Glockenspiel track!

“Return of the Strange” is another song where we take an uptempo, wawa-driven dance song and overlay more serious lyrics; this time centered on the plight of our generation as the world comes apart at its seams. This song also features keen basswork by Vernon in lieu of the usual guitar leads. This is another of the Submnesas’s ‘long-lost gems’ of the 80’s - a song that we played a few times but never recorded. But now, the time has come! While the lyrics may have seemed overly dark in the ‘80s, they are completely on point these days. It’s an existential anthem, set in a local neighborhood bar,

Now available again - the revamped version of the revamped version of the original from 1983... it's safe to say that this song has finally arrived! While "Anarchy Love has the slowest tempo of any other Submensa song, the power comes through as each point in this meditation on love floats on Jim's ethereal volume pedal before shattering like glass into a thousand echoes. The lyrics and vocal delivery of this song is a reflection of a life's work - begun as a young man, revised in middle age, culminating now in a true epiphany gained from a life lived. Punk rock is the best mode of expression, ever!