Pennywise
is back
with their eleventh studio release to date. ‘Yesterdays’ sees the return of Jim Lindberg as frontman as the
California four-piece takes inspiration from songs written much earlier in the
band’s life, prior to bassist Jason
Thirsk passing away in ‘96.
The album is released
today; we took a listen to see what the band’s first release in two years has
to offer. Click below to see what we thought…
Most of the songs on Yesterdays have been in storage for the
past two decades; the new release sees them offered to fans for the first time.
‘What You Deserve’, the opener to the record, is thrashy and unrelenting and
sets the tone. ‘Restless Time’ follows suit and from here on in, the album is a
journey in political punk.
‘Noise
Pollution’, far from its title, is a discordant anthem and Jim Lindberg’s
vocals soar over the track. Catchy and percussive, ‘Yesterdays’ is filled with
punk anthem after anthem. The Hermosa Beach quartet’s last release was back in
2012 and their latest record makes it their eleventh studio offering. By any
standards, when a band makes it to their eleventh album it can often be
suggested that a band has run out of fresh ideas and material. Far from that, Pennywise prove that they can reinvent
their sound, and fans will not be disappointed. This release is essentially
harking back to the beginnings of the band, not in a regression but instead it
captures the heart of what Pennywise is.
Political lyrical content, with catchy, gutsy choruses are what fill
‘Yesterdays’.
‘Am Oi!’ progresses the album;
rhythmic and anthemic, it moves the album into the second half. The refrain
‘She’s a winner, She’s a winner’ on the track bearing the same name is
percussive with huge punk rock riffs. The final track, ‘I Can Remember’, closes
the album out in style; punk rock at its finest.
The re-emergence of punk as a genre
has now seen hundreds of new punk bands emerge. Pennywise prove that they can still cut it; they may struggle to
win new, young fans, but for those longstanding aficionados ‘Yesterday’s’ will
be greeted with open arms. 8/10