Must Be Nice

Description

You only get worse, goes the first line on Dark Thoughts third album, but while they might be correct about your personal decline, this West Philly trio are quite evidently better than ever. Hot on the heels of 2018s At Work LP 18 months later, to be precise this new collection sees the band at their wilfully-dumb-but-smarter-than-u best, knocking out Ramonescore nuggets of the purest gold as if their lives depended on it. Whether imploring you to listen to the radio or simply please dont leave me alone, Jim Shomos voice remains the perfect balance of snot-drenched sneer and wounded croon, while the band lock into their fastnfurious groove to frame his lovelorn melodies with the correct amount of muscle, and maybe theyll even pour a few beers directly into their amps while theyre at it. Sure, they retain the sound that powered those first two albums, but they know what theyre doing if it aint broke, dont fix it; if youre broke, write a 90-second punk banger about it with an irresistible melody and play it as loud as possible. As if to prove that fact, synth-splashed closer Must Be Nice shows they might even have written their best cut yet. Getting back to that first song, Hesitate, Shomo goes on to say: Ive seen the future / It looks so much brighter than it used to. On the basis of Be Nice, its difficult to argue with that assessment: this is the perfect synthesis of pop and punk and a welcome reminder that your 70s heroes just wanted to recreate the unforgettable 45s they heard on the radio as kids. The 12 songs here may be destined for your turntable rather than the wireless, but youll treasure em every bit as much. Another classic from a band that just doesnt know how to stop writing em Dark Thoughts forever. Will Fitzpatrick.