The Visitors

"Sometimes it's hard to imagine what rock & roll must be like in New York City with three-quarters of the Ramones passed on and CBGB's just a memory, but the first album from the Visitors suggests some things never change in the City That Never Sleeps -- there are still old-school punk bands belting out two-and-a-half minute tunes about girls, hanging out and various stuff that bugs them over chugging guitar riffs and no-frills melodic hooks, and the Visitors are one such combo. While first-era Gotham noisemakers the Ramones, the Dead Boys and the Heartbreakers are obvious points of inspiration, the Visitors manage to put the collected parts together in a way that gives them a personality of their own, and they have the snazz to pull it off. Bradley's chunky meat-and-potatoes guitar runs get the job done with style and swagger, bassist Brian offers high-attitude vocals while holding down the bottom end, and Danny's breakneck drumming is solid while keeping up with the amplified chaos surrounding him. Fold in songs like "Clean and Civilized," "I Don't Belong," "Don't Wait for Me" and "TV Blues" that cover contemporary urban life with street smarts and plenty of piss and vinegar, and you get a half-hour of high quality rock & roll that not only honors its influences but makes some serious noise of its own. And the Visitors even score additional cool points with a righteous cover of Roky Erickson's "I Walked with a Zombie" - folks, stuff like this is why New York is still the Greatest City In The World. Give it a spin." - Mark Deming, All-Music Guide - All-Music Guide

"The remnants of punk rock's influence on pop culture were slowly eroded by the waves of pop that came out of bands like Good Charlotte and Blink 182; choked by the metal-tomfoolery of Sum 41, and yet, here come the Visitors, leading the charge at the lifeless music in mainstream America. Some things shouldn't have to be adapted for public consumption, here is an act that is doing their best to rewind time and deliver the best punk record of 1974. Tight riffs and hooky bass lines pound the deepest primal recesses. It doesn't matter when you heard your very first punk rock song; the Visitors are capable and willing to take you back in their rock and roll space capsule... There is a chemistry on The Visitors that cannot be faked or duplicated, the band are three irrepressible brothers-in-arms, allied against crappy artists and pretentious has-beens. Few could deliver such a fun experience; remaining distinctively lo-fi and crystal clear simultaneously. If the group had access to top-notch equipment, they don't care for it, instead choosing to rely on skill and the simplicity of great punk rock to sway an audience. Whether asking the listener to swallow the speed and precision of grimy rock and roll or to enjoy the simplicity of three chord progressions, the Visitors are more than happy to toss a wrench into one's perception. What is punk? This is punk, and though you can "tell when you hear it," the band members themselves don't know what they are... The Visitors make good music and need to be appreciated for that. The Visitors don't care who likes them, as long as the people who do find them fun. Music isn't always about being the first or the best, sometimes the band that plays the loudest and seems the most "together" on stage can win fans. This is an act that won't need commercial success to feel valuable, even though they surely deserve to reap the fruits of their labors. Eschatone Records might just have something huge on their hands here." - Shawn M. Smith, Broken Dial - Broken Dial

"The Visitors aren't here to recreate a thin sliver of their record collection. They're not even here blend bits and pieces of their favorite obscurities to win over the garage-bound train-spotters ("It's like The Chocolate Watchband meets The Trashmen!"). The Visitors gleefully muddies the waters, jacking noisy, grimy rock'n'roll from all points between the garage and CBGB's. And while the band's destroying the sterility maintained by garage rock's gate-keeping elite, it's busy indulging the sort of weird-assed streak you'd expect from a lost Ramones tune: Topic matter strays from cheerfully bemoaning daytime television ("TV Blues") to happily bemoaning psychotherapy ("Happy Again") to messing with a Roky Erikson cut about the undead ("I Walked with a Zombie")... It's the sound of a band picking up guitars and banging out the first thing that came out. Full of soul, crammed with an irrepressible, almost innocent glee, The Visitors is the antithesis to the buttoned-down world of garage rock rules. Wrecking authenticity and bastardizing a slew of rock'n'roll formulas is rarely so much fun." - Matt Schild, Aversion.com - Aversion.com

"The Visitors' debut release is the epitome of classic garage punk rock, evoking a raw, Social Distortion-like sound. At twelve tracks and barely thirty minutes in length, The Visitors' self-titled album combines driving beats, simple lyrics, and gritty melodies to make an impressive and appealing debut. The New York outfit, signed to Eschatone Records, delivers with this bold and engaging album... Catchy and spirited, The Visitors make honest punk rock, and a live show would undoubtedly be wildly entertaining. This sort of unapologetic passion for making music is not frequently captured on an album, but The Visitors manage it, and sound they really happy about doing so." - Claire Schuster, Delusions of Adequacy
- Delusions of Adequacy

"The Visitors are 100% garage rock. Like their distorted, energetic, and slightly reckless sound, this New York trio is proud to claim that they're "never gonna be clean and civilized." The sound that the Visitors achieve is excellent. The band and recorder/mixer (no producer is listed) Uncle Mitro capture the ragged edge of garage rock while not sounding like a reactionary band trying to sound exactly like the album was recorded in the '60s or '70s. Combining a knack for catchy melodies with a passionate performance and lyrics never too far removed from traditional rock subject, the Visitors should appeal to any garage rock enthusiast with their just-under-30-minutes, self-titled album." - Bob McMahon, PLAYBACK:stl
- PLAYBACK:stl

"Brian Wilson Shock Treatment meets The Labor Party meets The Standells? No, even better than that! They're tight musically, good production - hey, it's a hit! Great rock 'n' roll record! Lots of 1960's influences, but the same as The Ramones and Dictators (The Hollies, The Who, The Kinks, The Standells, etc.)." - John Holmstrom, Punk Magazine - Punk Magazine

Sometimes a band's influences are apparent from the very first listen and that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Visitors are a punk band drawing directly from New York's early punk music. The sounds of The Ramones, The Dictators, The Dead Boys, and New York Dolls are all discernible. This is plain and simple rock and roll, with lead singer Bradley delivering his vocals in a slightly gritty voice that never seems to sacrifice melody. Like the Ramones before them, The Visitors' songs benefit from a surprising pop sensibility – songs like "My Unknown Love" and "Stop What You're Doin'" are catchy numbers that recall '50s rock and early Beach Boys as well as the primordial denizens of CBGB. Also memorable is the satirical jab at overmedicated modern society, "Happy Again," probably the best song on the album.
- Matthew Donovan - Jupiterindex.com

There's a knock at the door. You answer it and three Visitors barge into your place ready to throw a party. They come armed with alcohol and as you all sit around drinking, they play records by the Heartbreakers, the MC5, late 70s Power Pop bands, Roky Erickson and John Lee Hooker. Soon you realize that the room is getting full of people- even girls. In all the smoke, commotion and drunken blur, you lose track of your original visitors, but you get some phone numbers from females and you even make out with one of them. In the morning, you wake up to a clean apartment. Did it really happen? That's when you reach into your pocket and pull out the phone numbers." - The Big Takeover

"The Visitors crank out garage stompin' tunes with traditional inspiration drawn from classic 50's/60's rock n' roll with a slightly rougher edge. The New York based trio has a slightly stripped down guitar based sound that works well. They stray into other territories too, dipping into punk rock ballads and more melodic 80's guitar pop punk that almost sounds like early Replacements or The Dils. It's unapologetic ass shakin' guitar rock, which is something I kind of like. The Visitors are playing music similar to that of their heroes, and they have pretty damn good taste in heroes." - The Swede, Culturebunker.com - Culturebunker.com

A New York Band that dishes out the garage rock 'n' roll with a punk edge. A little RAMONES, NEW YORK DOLLS, and PHIL SPECTOR are all obvious influences. Rough production gives this a vintage CBGB feel. This is a decent release for a band that is going for that sound without any ties to the past. - Maximum Rocknroll