Having existed in one form or another since the early ‘90s, the New York/New Jersey-based skins in Broken Heroes want to make one thing crystal clear: they are not a streetpunk band—they are an Oi! band. The idea being the term "streetpunk" is for bands that are afraid to call themselves Oi! because of the skinhead stigma attached to it. Hence, they named their new album This is Oi! And to further my point, these are the first lyrics from the title track and album opener: “I remember those days when ‘streetpunk’ wasn’t a word they used/We all knew we were crucified—stood up to the abuse/Don’t need to sugar-coat it—this is music from the streets/This is Oi!—we play it loud—our style can’t be beat/THIS IS OI!” The song, much like the rest of record is a testimony that nothing much, if anything at all, has changed when it comes to Oi! music. Familiar themes run throughout the eleven songs that make up This is Oi!: being a skinhead, storming the streets, being crucified, having working class pride, being a heavy drinker, and screaming “OI!, OI!, OI!” a bunch of times.
