Forever A Fan

t's been eight years since we've heard from snarling punk rockers Transplants, and even though 'Skinhead' Rob Aston hates the fact they've been away for so long, the polite and affable frontman admits that as soon as the group stepped back in the studio to record their third record, In A Warzone, that period of inactivity ceased to hold any importance or relevance.

“I don't think any of us really knew what to expect going into it because it had been so long [since] the three of us had been in one room together, let alone working and writing and recording music,” Aston admits. “But fuck, man, we got in there and we just got to work. I think that first day we did two or three songs from scratch – written and recorded – and it was nice; there was no weird tension with anyone or anything, there [were] no egos. It was just nice.

A supergroup of sorts, with Aston's bandmates including Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and Rancid guitarist/vocalist Tim Armstrong, Transplants fell off the scene in 2005 due to Armstrong needing his own time and space for various reasons. His bandmates afforded him this – though it was longer than expected – and now with the current line-up solidified following the 2011 addition of bassist Kevin Bivona, all four men are on the same page with the music they're making and the goals they're trying to achieve. And for Aston – a former Rancid roadie pulled into the frontline by Armstrong – the excitement of the position he finds himself in hasn't wavered.

“I'll catch myself looking over my shoulder because, like when we're playing live I'll just stop and trip out with what Travis is playing because fuck, I'm in a band with Travis Barker and Tim Armstrong – they're pretty fucking good at what they do,” he laughs.

Before this, Skinhead never held such aspirations. He hadn't written lyrics or penned a poem. He hadn't even sung a song. “But [Tim] saw something in me so I was like, 'Fuck, I gotta give this a shot.

“[But] once I started writing songs and writing lyrics, I discovered it was a wonderful outlet, a wonderful release of energy, anger, pent up hostility or whatever, because you've got to get that shit out somehow, whether you're going to fight or you're going to fuck or you're going to fucking scream, you gotta get that shit out somehow. And music to me is a wonderful release and almost a type of therapy, y'know, especially punk rock. You fucking scream...” he drives home.

This warzone that Aston references throughout this latest record is one that everyone deals with, be it mentally, spiritually, geographically or religiously. All around the world things are happening and the vocalist recognises this, from Turkey and Afghanistan to his home of Los Angeles. Underneath this thematic banner lies a maturity in lyrical content, while the overall musical assuredness is palpable, with the quartet using anything from electronic loops, spaghetti surf guitar, hip hop verses and funk rhythms to help deliver a record that's constantly moving.