Artist: Man Overboard
Album: Heart Attack
Release Date: May 28
Label: Rise Records
Grade: C
During the late '90s and into the early 2000s, pop-punk bands like Taking Back Sunday and Blink-182 ruled the airwaves. Their signature sound influenced many of today's current bands, but none have really embodied the true pop-punk feel of their predecessors.
The Jersey boys of Man Overboard challenge the veterans of pop punk with their newest album Heart Attack.
The album was unexpectedly leaked by Spotify, due to an error, two weeks before the scheduled release date. Instead of pulling the album, Man Overboard put it on Bandcamp to stream as a present to their fans.
As one of the more diverse bands on the Rise Records roster, Man Overboard claims it "defends pop punk," and its iconic logo of a heart with intersecting rifles proves the band is not going down without a fight. Heart Attack definitely has a fighting chance.
While most of the melodies sound oddly familiar, Man Overboard's fan base keeps coming back for the angst-ridden lyrics the band posts on its Facebook every night.
On "Hoodie Song," the band approaches post-hardcore territory with borderline screams. This slight change of pace ends quickly as the guitar chords sound recycled once again. The lyrics contain a story about love/hate relationships that Man Overboard's fans feed off of.
"Shut your pretty mouth and let's just go away," vocalists Zac Eisenstein and Nik Bruzzese croon.
The emotional lyrics are a common theme throughout the entire album. The thumping bass also weaves in between the focused and honest lyricism that the band is praised for. "Open Season" is a track filled with lust for a girl that the vocalists can never have. It becomes creepy, as daydreams about driving to this girl's house (whom the singers supposedly never met) are introduced. Perhaps their followers have thought about doing the same.
"Boy Without Batteries" showcases the tongue-in-cheek humor that Blink-182 is known for. The track discusses finding artifacts of a past lover and not having the heart to toss it. Man Overboard frequently overuses the theme heartbreak. The name of the track also suggests an inappropriate attitude toward the ex-lover.
The remainder of Heart Attack keeps on the path of a broken record. While both Eisenstein and Bruzzese's vocals are nicely balanced, "Wide Awake" closes the album with their signature contrasting voices. The slow-paced track offers a different side to the defenders of pop punk along with communal singing and mellow instrumentals in the chorus. It's easily the most memorable song off Heart Attack.
Overall, the lack of a musical and lyrical breakthrough for Man Overboard hinders Heart Attack. The band has found success in keeping their sound the same and isn't willing to leave its comfort zone yet. This summer, the band will hit Warped Tour, which will only expand its reach to forlorn teenagers and make it a household name.
At least pop punk isn't dead yet.
Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
