Simple Plan’s latest release sticks to the kind of music fans have come to know and love since the band made its debut nearly 15 years ago.
Taking One For The Team is proof that the band has still got it when it comes to formulating infectious pop-punk sounds.
Although it’s the band’s first album in almost five years, the opening track Opinion Overload makes it seem like hardly any time has past, as it launches into a catchy chorus about shutting down the opinions of the bullies and the naysayers.
I Refuse is another earworm with a similar message about refusing to compromise on one’s identity to gain the approval of another. Then there’s the excitement that comes with falling in love in Kiss Me Like Nobody’s Watching and Boom! followed by the usual angsty break-up songs like P.S. I Hate You.
And of course, Simple Plan wouldn’t be Simple Plan without its signature emo tunes. One of the album’s most memorable moments arrives with Problem Child, a song about working through one’s flaws in order to please our parents or anyone we love. It’s impossible to go through the song without getting a little misty-eyed.
What’s amazing is after all these years, the band members, who are all in their 30s now, are still able to tackle these themes and capture the same sense of youthful exuberance they’re known for.
Part of it has to do with 36-year-old lead vocalist Pierre Bouvier, who sounds exactly the same. Vocally-speaking, he has not aged at all!
But the album also brings something new to the table. Singing In The Rain, for example, sees the band joining forces with R. City, throwing a little reggae into the mix to surprisingly positive results.
As a whole, Taking One For The Team gives listeners more of the good old Simple Plan and that is quite a good plan.
Simple Plan
Taking One For The Team
(Warner Music)
