Sex Dog is a throwback to a simpler time in rock history, when R.E.M. was a budding new band, the Ramones were starting to sound like pop music, homemade mixes were still on cassette tapes and the Cars weren’t used for Circuit City commercials (and Circuit City still existed). This was the era Sex Dog emerged in the jazz-, funk- and blues-dominated New Orleans music scene, getting brief radio play from WTUL during punk’s early days. Their self-titled album isn’t an expected sound for 2012, especially in New Orleans, where punk rock is far from being a prominent sound.

The album features a combination of live and studio recordings. The songs are short and sweet, with “Goodbye Nagasaki” running longest at 3:42. Most tracks stick to the classic punk rock formula with lyrics about teenage angst, tight-knit musicianship and brief ear-shredding guitar solos mingled throughout—“Family Problems” is a quintessential example.

The final song, “Sex on You,” steers a bit off track from the record’s other fare. Starting off with a smooth reggae groove, it transitions into wild thrasher rock by the album-wrapping end.