The Brokedowns make scruffy, silly punk that satisfies

Chicago punk four-piece the Brokedowns emerged from the same Elgin underground scene that gave us Ian’s Party, a homegrown humdinger of a music festival. That wintertime event hasn’t returned since the start of the pandemic, but at least we get a new LP from the Brokedowns, Maximum Khaki (Red Scare). When it comes to scruffy, funny punk songs with an emphasis on pop melody, the Brokedowns mean business. The band’s love for cheeky song titles remains as strong as ever on Maximum Khaki, whose tracks include “Man Graves (Masculine Caskets),” “Osama Van Halen,” and “Samurai Sword Decontrol.” If you don’t get those jokes, the Brokedowns might not be for you, but I still hope you’ll take a chance on their new album. They tenderize the beefy songs on Maximum Khaki with the occasional softhearted turn, and they smuggle thoughtful earnestness into brawny, barreling tunes that you wouldn’t expect to be able to communicate such depth in less than two minutes. The Brokedowns have been at it for more than two decades, and they’ve beaten the odds to age with their goofiness and their humanity intact: Maximum Khaki is loaded with shamelessly catchy rippers as sharp and tongue-in-cheek as “Ernest Becker at a Costco.”

Brokedowns Chinese Telephones, Dangerous Chairs, and Permanent Residue open. Sat 1/28, 8:30 PM, Burlington, 3425 W Fullerton, $10. 21+

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