AFI - 17 Crimes

We’re big fans of bands that have plenty of variety under their belt here at Rock Song of the Week. That’s not to say that groups who do one thing and do it well are shunned into obscurity by our collective musical snobbery, however. We’re still not sure AC/DC haven’t just released one album since 1975 that had a hundred and eighty songs on it and they’re goddamn rock royalty. But we always have space in our blackened hearts for musicians who can juggle more than one flaming sword.

AFI (short for A Fire Inside, just in case you’re attending the world’s most niche pub quiz later) have certainly had their fingers in plenty of punk pies over the years. Hardcore, emo, horror punk, gothic rock, pop-punk; the list goes on in a real “name it and we’ve probably had a crack” sort of a way. They’ve done it to no small amount of success, too, to put it lightly. Multiple Billboard Number One albums ain’t bad trekking for a group that have a genre list longer than most bands have albums in one ballpark. Turns out versatility isn’t just a word that I had to spellcheck.

Time to get the record spinning, then! An earworm all ends up, 17 Crimes is one of those tracks that seems to end way quicker than you think it will because you’ve just been bopping along to it for the whole runtime. It’s a slick and fully fun, making it a worthy inclusion in the annals of Rock Song of the Week. Go on, bring a little theatre into your Friday – we promise it’s well worth the price of admission. Given that price is gratis, in fact, you’re getting one hell of a deal!