I am not a believer in diminishing the value of art by assigning it a numerical rating. But if I were, I would award Classic Pat's new album Won't Back Down a ten out of ten. If you love pop-punk, you will love this album and should run through a brick wall if necessary to acquire it. That should be the end of this review, but it would be out of character for me to be that succinct.
Almost anyone who has bothered to read this far will be familiar with Classic Pat and the many great bands he has played in. With Won't Back Down (out today on Mom's Basement Records), he has delivered a royal treat for eternal fans of Lookout! Records inspired pop-punk. This is a particular genre with which I have a very complicated relationship. 70% of the time, I'm pretty "Meh!" about it. But the rest of the time, there's no music in the world I'd rather listen to. Won't Back Down is obviously in the latter category. On the first day of this year, I described "Sadie Hawkins Dance" as "one of the greatest pop-punk songs ever written." You may have suspected that I wrote those words under the influence of recency bias, temporary insanity, or a bad hangover, but now it's nine weeks later, and my opinion hasn't changed. When I reflect on why some pop-punk hits the spot for me and some of it doesn't, I can identify several qualities that tend to win me over:
- I enjoy a likeable singer and funny, relatable lyrics.
- I like to hear the influence of classic pop and rock 'n' roll.
- I prefer a little variety over the course of an album.
- The poppier the better!
- I'll take catchy songs over new ideas any day of the week.
Let me tell you: if that's my rubric, Won't Back Down checks off every single box! Emulating the old school Lookout! sound without coming off like a cheap knockoff is a tricky task, but Classic Pat totally pulls it off. And the secret is that there's really no secret. It's all about writing perfect three-chord punk songs with earworm hooks. If "Seeing Triple" were any catchier, the CDC would be raiding the Mom's Basement headquarters at this very moment. "She Don't Care" is basically the best Screeching Weasel song in decades. "The Next In Line" is bubblegum perfection a la The Queers circa Don't Back Down. "No Telling At All" (featuring Canaan from Barbariettes on lead vocals) hits the pure pop side of the Ramones bang-on. Clearly Pat is transparent about his biggest influences. But rather than making me wish I were listening to the Ramones, Queers, or Screeching Weasel instead, Won't Back Down has reignited my love for pop-punk. And these songs are just so much fun. Over the course of the album, Pat reflects on the strain that responsible adulthood can place on friendships, waxes poetic on girlfriends who are awful and sometimes outright scary, romanticizes the golden age of rock 'n' roll, pays tribute to the cinematic classic Mallrats, and recounts an obviously true story about having to choose between dancing with a pretty girl and making it to the opening night screening of Demolition Man with some best buds. Now that's what I call relatable music!
With song styles ranging from snotty ("Creeped Out") to super-poppy ("Trend Setter") to oldies-influenced ("Do You Remember," "Goin' Nowhere") to classically pop-punk ("He's a Daddy Now"), Won't Back Down has something for every fan of pop-punk. Sometimes with a really good pop-punk album, I talk about how I would have totally flipped out if I'd heard it when I was 25. But Won't Back Down has me flipping out now. CDs are limited to 100 copies and available now from the Mom's Basement webstore. While you're over there, you can pre-order the vinyl for the new Yum Yums album (which is freaking awesome!) coming out next month on Screaming Apple Records!
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