The passion is obvious and the ability abundant in these young Manx punks!
The Isle of Man has long been connected with noise, power, speed and spectacle. Normally this is associated is due to the annual TT races where nerveless motorcycle riders power around the Island’s roads in pursuit of accolades and acknowledgement. Now the Island has an alternative source, Croteau, a band now in its fourth year and hoping to make an impact with their debut album release ‘Silent Sound’.
Jake Newton and Ali Alistair bonded over their mutual love of Punk and Tyler, The Creator, and started to hone their craft by learning songs by Nirvana and The Velvet Underground. The introduction of drummer Joseph Prince completed their line-up, and they were ready to unleash themselves, and their chaotic high-energy live sound upon the unsuspecting residents of the Isle of Man.
Alongside producer Phil Reynolds, the trio spent seven months writing and developing the 13 songs that make up their debut LP ‘Silent Sound’. The intention was always to try and replicate the band’s live sound in its rawness and energy on vinyl. If you listen to the debut albums of The Damned and the Sex Pistols you can tell what a difference that makes – the Pistols had the money, the Damned had the energy…
A debut album is always a tricky thing, naturally you are driven by the bands that influenced you, that gave you the inspiration and drive to form a band in the first place, and that is very much the case here. However, Croteau have enough personality and belief to take that influence and style it in their own way.
Opening with ‘Lighter Fluid Burns’, a solid, thumping rhythm drives the song, there are some nice, subtle guitar licks under the powerful vocals and it really works as a gateway to the style and vibe of the band. The other 12 tracks on the album continue to reinforce the fact that this is a band that has great potential.
The foundations are there, the passion is obvious, the ability abundant. There is a brashness in making a 34 second song (‘Manic’), but there is also a craft in making that short a song work, and Croteau manage it (if you think it’s an easy thing try it…!)
Songs like ‘Fragile Piece’ show there is a huge potential for Croteau to really drive forward in both musicianship and recognition. Back in January 2025, Punktuation rated their debut EP ‘Junky’ as raw ‘77 punk, this album expands on that. This is a confident, talented band that is just starting out and has huge potential. Get on board, this is a sound that won’t be silent for much longer!
Released on 8th May 2026, get your copy of ‘Silent Sound’ on CD and Digital Download from HERE
Catch Croteau live at the Manx Punx All-Dayer with Pizzatramp, Sourflake, Grailguard, and The Nilz on 11th July, and at Rover’s Return for the album launch show on 6th June, then back again opening for 18Fevers on 4th August.
- Lighter Fluid Burns
- Bookworm
- Sober 17
- Leave Me In The River
- Napoleon Is Always Right
- Mandy
- Get Nowhere
- Loaded Gun
- Free Health For Slaves
- Manic
- Fragile Piece
- Beatlesque
- Plastic
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Heavily influenced by an older brother, I discovered a love of music at an early age, initially with Punk but eventually with pretty much everything. I play guitar and bass to a very low standard and regularly ‘entertain’ my family and dogs with unwanted noise. I am usually found at the back of both gigs and football matches!
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