ALBUM REVIEW: Scars – American Television
Fast rising melodic punk band AMERICAN TELEVISION are back with their latest album Scars. Being from Washington DC, it’s no wonder that the quartet’s music focuses heavily on the political side of things whilst also dabbling in topics relating to the more intimate affairs of their everyday lives. Yet regardless of the level of seriousness of their lyrical content, the result always falls into the category of solid pop-punk tracks to get you pumped and ready to face the world, whether you want to start anarchy or simply receive a boost of serotonin.
Things start out strong with New Generation, a song that kicks off immediately with fast punk instruments and angry vocals that provide commentary on the current hideous state of the world that the new generation won’t stand for much longer – all nicely packed into around 70 seconds. The energy then continues on with I Am The Fire, another fast punk track that delivers catchy hooks and a bouncy chorus. One can already imagine the carnage of a live show, with stage divers and mosh pits galore as everyone screams back the lyrics in pure bliss.
Following the first two tracks however is where things do fall flat slightly as the album starts to become rather samey and it becomes hard to distinguish the difference between each song. That’s not to say that things sound bad or that you’ll find yourself bored, but when looking back over the record it all seems to merge into one long track. An energetic and fun track mind you, but it still would be nice to have some variety.
Regardless, you cannot deny the moments of pure bliss and nostalgia in tracks that will have you reminded of early 00s fast punk and pop-punk bands, like Bittersweet that draws some comparison to THE DISTILLERS, or SOS that has a bass line that would easily slot into a BLINK-182 track, or The Creek which has anthemic elements that are reminiscent of BOWLING FOR SOUPS’s Punk Rock 101.
Scars is an energetic album to be sure, but one that could do with adding some more personality to stand out from others; AMERICAN TELEVISION certainly have a knack for creating short yet sweet punk tracks that get straight to the point, just next time they could perhaps gain more confidence and be even louder when it comes to shouting about the important things, whether global or personal.
Rating: 7/10
Scars is set for release on September 22nd via Smartpunk Records.
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