The Queers

“Noodlebrain” by the Queers, from Love Songs for the Retarded (Asian Man Records):

The Buzzcocks and the Ramones may have laid the groundwork for pop-punk, but the Queers helped make sure the genre would never grow up. After 25 years, Joe Queer still pines for that girl in third period, still appreciates a good party and still sings about his subjects in a teenager’s matter-of-fact way. The New Hampshire band’s brand of punk has always emphasized melody over aggression, but the quartet’s latest, Munki Brain, contains more nods to the sunny ’60s than the gritty late ’70s, with an overt Beach Boys influence that shows in songs such as the aptly titled “Brian Wilson.”