Barging in with fast-paced chords and lyrics referencing “black and tired lungs,” Swingin’ Utters makes a fine entrance with their seventh full-length album. After 15 years on Fat Wreck Chords, the band continues to bring their trademark pop-punk style to fans with this release. Their various riffs and choruses made me feel as if I was in the middle of a skate park. All the adrenaline given by the hard snare hits and the shredding guitars made this album a perfect skater soundtrack.
Through a first listen, I didn’t think there was anything spectacular about the album, musically. The choruses were exciting yet very basic and the vocals were average. When paying special attention to the tracks though, I began to pick up on the nuances of the album. Little guitar riffs and fills add complexity and make each track more enjoyable. The simplicity of their songs made them easy to like, while little riffy seasonings made them stick in my head.
The average track length was about 2:30 and that kept their songs interesting while avoiding over repetition. Swingin’ Utters was also able to showcase their varying influences through this album. While most songs had that classic punk feel to them, “Scary Brittle Frame” was able to show a more country-oriented version of the band. The twangy guitars were a strange choice, considering the album as a whole, but this track just added even more to the already impressive album.
In A Word: Sweet
