This album is more punk in the spirit that in the sound. It's not full of quick and angry songs eructed in fast-forward. It has a lot of energy, influences, things to say, directions to explore; it's everywhere in the same time but also right here, right now. It's chaotic in its own way, and that's the spirit.
The Clash were never really just a punk band. Aside from the opening track which anticipates the nuclear paranoia of the 80s with a howl of despair, the music here is diverse and literate, covering jazz, ska, dub, Americana (with a nod to Staggers Lee) and good old rock ‘n’ roll. Even that iconic cover pays homage to Elvis Presley’s debut album, and rightly so. This is a band paying their dues and saying things that need to be said, as well as having a lot of fun with bouncy songs about the drudgery of shopping alongside political bangers about fighting fascism. As relevant now as ever.