Back in March, I predicted that Unicorn Dogs' debut full-length Age Typical Junk Behavior would join the growing list of "A+ pop-punk albums" released this year. For once, I turned out to be right about something! To recap, two-thirds of Baltimore-based Unicorn Dogs used to be two-thirds of Charlie Brown Gets a Valentine. But while there's some similarity between the two bands, Unicorn Dogs are miles beyond what CBGaV was. There's nothing particularly novel or complicated about what Unicorn Dogs do, but perhaps that's the whole point. They play gritty, straight-forward pop-punk, and they put tremendous heart & soul into it. Their songs are simple in terms of both structure and the approach to recording. Yet you won't find a band with catchier, more memorable pop-punk tunes. I appreciate that there are two songwriter/vocalists, and I like them equally. That's a little reminiscent of Husker Du for me, and I would guess that Husker Du is somewhat of an influence on Unicorn Dogs. You can feel the passion and energy that went into these songs, and the lyrics are thoughtful and super-relatable. This, my friends, is pop-punk for grown-ups —and it's freaking amazing. Was I practically in tears the first time I heard "You Would Have Known Better"? Of course I was! Surely I can relate to "Screwed Together" way more deeply than I can relate to any pop-punk song I liked 25 years ago. Age Typical Junk Behavior is an absolutely perfect pop-punk album. Only one song exceeds two minutes, and every track makes me want to pump my fist and shout along like my life depended on it. Over the course of this album, the band reflects on topics such as revenge, parenthood, work, marriage, overcoming adversity, the shortcomings of humanity, alienation, and the inevitability of death. To reverse-paraphrase Morrissey, the music Unicorn Dogs play says a lot to me about my life.
