This album starts off with “Chosen Family”. And I mean, it’s less than a minute long, so I can’t complain. It’s not exactly a wild intro, and it’s not even that deep. But it’s heartwarming, it gives some backstory on Thin Lips and the life of Chrissy Tashjian. I mean, they easily could have worked this into another song, but it’s not bad. Then we have “Gaslight Anthem (The Song Not The Band)”, and instantly I do have to say, the band seem so much more full of life than what we’ve heard from them in the past. The riffs are so much more melodic, and have so much more of a bite to them. But Chrissy’s performance to me is the biggest shift here. Her vocals on the first album to me, just sounded like way too many of her contemporaries. But while her vocals here aren’t absolutely perfect, they’re much punchier and full of life. Also, their songwriting is in a completely different time zone from when we last heard from Thin Lips. There’s nothing here that’s completely blowing me away. But one track in, and I have so much more to say. But some of the kinks that haunted Thin Lips to begin with still come around too much, like on “A Song For Those Who Miss You All The Time””. This is far from the more upbeat and energetic Punk that we’ve heard from Thin Lips. Hell, there’s almost an off-kilter funk to this one that never really gets rolling. But even more than that, Chrissy here just sounds so awkward in her performance, and the exact opposite from where we started. I actually think a lot of the lyrics remain seriously well done, but too much of this track is clumsy. Thankfully, Chrissy and Thin Lips start really getting that ball rolling with “Smokings For Quitters”. Instantly, Chrissy is giving us some of her best vocals, and the instrumental here is so much better than everything we’ve heard so far. This one is just so triumphant and soaring, and I love just how determined Thin Lips sound. Not to mention, I honestly can’t remember the last time I heard these guys on such a genuinely catchy track. The pouring drums are great, and the band just have so much personality coming out here. I really don’t have anything bad to say about this one at all, it’s brilliant. Thin Lips continue to dish out seriously great tracks with “South America”. This one is instantaneous, and shows Thin Lips not trying too hard to impress. No, here they just sat down and wrote a seriously catchy and quirky track, I honestly wish this was a single. But the sheer determination here is commendable, and it just shows how close Thin Lips are to writing a genuinely great Punk album.
Now that Thing Lips are on a roll, they just keep sounding better by the second. "I Know I’m The Asshole” is easily the most bouncy and fun track we’ve heard so far. It’s jolly and fun, and Chrissy’s very dreary vocals bring this one down in all the right ways. There are some great one-liners that I can’t get enough of, and I love the rebellious attitude of this one in general. I don’t know who hit the “on” switch on this album, but I’m glad they did. “Saying Yes” is up next, and I can’t tell you just how much these much more direct tracks are just so refreshing. This one is a damn near-anthem, and while the chorus is a little lackluster, I still can’t help but sing along every time it rolls around. Not to mention, instrumentally this is shockingly more technical than everything else that’s been presented here. Not to mention, I love some of the buildups in these verses, these drums are intense man. That, alongside Chrissy’s very youthful and energetic performance, makes for another really solid tune. Then we have “What’s So Bad About Being Lonely”, which may just be the most straightforward and genuinely catchy track here. I’m shocked by the sheer simplicity of this one, and you have to give credit to Thin Lips because at this point they’re writing anthems. Pretty damn good anthems too. The simplicity of these tracks may get under the skin of some, but considering just how faceless their last album was, this is a major improvement. Also, this is easily the most universally understandable track here, and that’s a big deal in my book. Now, as these tracks get catchier and catchier we get “Sex Is Complicated”. This one practically has a sort of 90’s throwback flair to it. But for me, this is a little too catchy for my liking, and drift a little too much in the pop direction. But I mean, for a Pop Punk track this is absolutely solid, and the songwriting does continue to be a standout. But the hiccups remain with “So Stoned” This one is awkward right from its intro. The first 30 seconds of this track is just such a back-step, with the band sounding like they literally have no idea what they want. And yea, when some of the other instrumentals pop in and this one starts chugging away, this does pick up. But this is the sort of faceless track that I was wishing they would have moved on from. And while I appreciate Thin Lips wanting to go for a heavier sound, which I’m all for, why the hell are some of these instrumentals so sloppy? And it’s a shame because I really do love some of the vocal harmonies.
Now, for a heavier track, “It’s Hard to Tell The Difference When You’re Afraid of Literally Everything” is so much more interesting. I love the practically funky riff we’re greeted to right as this one gets going. And honestly, yea this track is a little grimier and not nearly as flashy. But, it’s personal, gruff, and overall just incredibly interesting as a change of pace for this album. It also doesn’t really have the colorful personalities we were getting earlier. But to be honest, that makes this one even more intriguing. Then we get “What If I Saw You On The Street”, which is certainly one of the punchier and more wild tunes here. But it’s these more Punk-centered moments that I just keep having to shake my head at. This is all so cheesy and seems like it was ripped kicking and screaming out of the American Pie soundtrack. Like, it has some teeth to it, so there’s that at least. But as a finale, “The Kate Escape” is really sloppy. Once again, we have Thin Lips going for a heavier sound. But we see just how slim the line is for them to pull off a track like this. Sure, there are some catchy little guitar licks. But Chrissy’s vocals are sadly really cheesy, and the production is seriously sloppy.
Rating: 7.3/10
Give A Listen To: “Smokings For Quitters”, “South America”,“I Know I’m The Asshole”, “What’s So Bad About Being Lonely”
Least Favorite Track: “A Song For Those Who Miss You All The Time”
Genre: Indie Rock / Punk Rock
Overall Thoughts: Considering Thin Lips debut a few years ago was one of the more forgettable debuts of the last few years, this is a major step up for the crew. While a lot of these tracks aren’t anything elaborate and the production I wouldn’t say is anything too outrageous, there’s a simplistic charm to this album. Chrissy Tashjian and company has upped their game in the songwriting in a big way, and have been crafting damn near-anthems this time around. Chrissy’s performances are colorful and often personal, on all fronts, this is just an overhauled album. Now yea, some of the more Pop sounding tracks on here aren’t nearly as interesting, and the production in parts is highly suspect. This is far from a perfect album, but it’s certainly much more in the right direction for Thin Lips.
No comments:
Post a Comment