By John Bedard
A lot of time was put into this album and it definitely shows. We have a very enjoyable punk album here with the occasional sprinkling of a ska influence. It is a lot of fun and was clearly well thought through. It is more laid back and relaxed through much of the album than I was expecting. Especially as the album goes on it slows down rather nicely. Listening to this I can’t help but imagine being at my favorite pub with some friends, good beer, good food, and a great band on the stage. The whole album just has that good time feel.
The production value is high here. The mix is perfectly balanced. Vocals are forward and clearly present while no other instruments are lost in the background. Most of the album is classic punk but, on a few tracks, you get a nice addition of some brass instruments. This gives some tracks a nice ska flavor that does well to break up the album and gives it a nice evolution. ‘Dippy Egg’ is a great example of this and also probably my favorite track on the album.
The placement of every track on the album seems well thought out and intentional. The last track ‘Job And Knock’ is a really nice soft wind down at the end of the album that closes things up very nicely. I would actually like to hear more songs like this in the future as well. It shows a decent range for the band from the first track to the last.
One thing I would say that feels like a negative to me even though it probably should not is that sometimes the album almost feels too well done. What I mean by this is that it seems like some of that raw emotion you get with punk is polished away. In some ways, it is too well-produced and performed. There are none of those little mistakes that add so much character. Like I said above this really should not be a negative and it really does not hurt the overall experience. I just found it oddly noticeable that there was nothing to notice.
‘There’s A Lot Of It About’ is a great album that deserves your time for sure. It is fun and well made. It might not be an earth-shattering landmark album but it, I think, has earned a place in your collection for sure. You will not be disappointed.
- ‘There’s a Lot of It About’ is released tomorrow (Friday 20 September). You can get your copy HERE.
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