Monday 14 July 2014

Pennywise // Album Review, ‘Yesterdays’


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