"If you're from Australia and you want to play tough, straightforward punk-leaning rock with a lot of energy, you have your choice of some pretty impressive role models, such as the Celibate Rifles, the Saints, and especially Radio Birdman ... Civic are a fierce rock & roll band from Melbourne who clearly aspire to this great tradition, and for their second album, 2023's Taken by Force, they've gone straight to the source in pursuit of a mentor: in this case, Radio Birdman vocalist Rob Younger, who produced the LP. While Younger's presence doubtless helped bring out the Birdman-isms in this music, Civic clearly couldn't pull this off if they didn't have the goods, and the good news is they've done their homework and kick out the jams with admirable strength ... This music breaks no new ground, but in both concept and execution, Taken By Force does right by its inspirations and is a welcome reminder of just how good some down and dirty old-school proto-punk can feel"