This first impression was originally posted as a live blog for supporters in our forums on May 12th, 2016. First impressions are meant to be quick, fun, initial impressions on an album or release as I listen to it for the first time. It’s a running commentary written while listening to an album — not a review. More like a diary of thoughts. This post has been lightly edited for structure and flow.
Hahah, ok, yeah, maybe not what people would expect me to do a first listen for, but the album showed up, and after I did a listen of The Living End’s Shift while queuing up news for tomorrow morning, I threw this on kind of as an after thought for fun, not really expecting much.
Um.
I like it. Like, it’s kinda really fun and good pop-rock music. Like, it’s kinda the best album the band’s written since Young and the Hopeless. Like, maybe it’s the two beers, but whatever, I’m gonna do another listen and write some thoughts about this one. News is queued up, to-do list for the day is done, and it’s too late to do any actual “work” for the rest of the evening.
So a few things to get out of the way right now so I don’t have to make the same comments on each song: This thing is produced as fucking hell, like, the vocals are so produced I can’t tell it’s Joel on some songs without the fact I know what I’m listening to. Like, they’ve run this thing through a lot of filters, they’ve auto-tuned it, they’ve compressed and processed it, I can’t tell you what instruments are real or fake. I’m just accepting that’s what they’ve done and moving on. I could either decide I hate it because of that, or decide it’s not as good because of that, or just say fuck it let’s listen … I’m going with that. I’m listening and accepting that it’s not “organic” and that that’s not what I need or listen to this kind of music for anyway. There is a time and place for just full on voice and a guitar, and when that’s what I want, that’s what I turn to … but there’s also a place for oh god turn on a pop-rock album and just sing along and see what that turns into. That’s where I’m starting at with this. That’s where these impressions come from.
Same thing as before: I totally can change my mind when I am more sober and listen again, ask questions if you want, and I’ll give kind of a running commentary of how I feel and what I’m thinking while listening.
Life Changes
11:01pmThey recently released this song, and it leads the album … it’s surprisingly a fun and interesting pop-rock song. People seemed to like it in the comments thread and it makes sense. It’s crazy “produced” but that fucking chorus hits and it’s like yeah whatever that’s great.
11:02pmI haven’t really liked a Good Charlotte album in … well, like since Y&H, but so much of that was because the band never embraced what they were … never fully just went all in and said we’re a pop-rock band, let’s not reach too far, let’s not try and be too much. I think that’s why this works.
Lyrics are just … whatever, but like that chorus is straight up great. The little chant, the way it’s layered, how the speed up into it.
Makeshift Love
11:04pmI wasn’t super big on this one when it first came out, it’s run of the mill and generic in the instruments. It’s basically too Good Charlotte in how they do that beat. It’s fine.
I have to not laugh at the lyrics, but at the same time — it’s Good Charlotte, how much can I judge them on the lyrics? I can’t really say much.
11:06pmPretty good bridge. Underrated aspect of the pop-punk genre … and something that so many bands don’t do right these days … they don’t slow down for it. They fuck it up. They think: Go as fast as we can the entire time. The little pause, the slower cadence, and then speed it into the last chorus. It works so much better.
40 oz Dream
11:09pmOh god this song sucks. Haha. I can’t give it a pass. I mean there’s a chance this is something if I put on at a house party in college people would love it in the same way “Lifestyles” was popular, but holy god it’s so cheesy. I can’t listen to it and not be a little happy I have headphones on. Like, the fucking cat would judge me if he heard me listening to this right now.
“When it was gin and juice, and we had Dre and Snoop.”
Someone wrote that lyric and was like … yeah, fuck it, that works.
11:10pmStill a sucker for hand claps.
Life Can’t Get Much Better
11:14pmThis is where the album starts actually grabbing me in that “ok, if this is good, you keep listening, if it sucks, turn it off” kind of way. If I hate this song, after the last, why would I keep listening? What would the point be? Like, there’s no good reason to keep going … but then it starts in this perfect early 2000’s pop-punk way … slow, building, building …. and then the fucking chorus is god damn incredible. That cadence pisses me off cause it’s really, really good.
This could have been on the last All Time Low album. Alex could have sung this song. Good verses. Crazyyyyyyyyy produced vocals. Layered as shit. But then … THAT FUCKING CHORUS.
“Life can’t get much better, let’s just say together, these scars are tokens of promises broken.”
So cheesy, but also so god damn good … that hook is fantastic.
11:15pm… if you’re in high-school this would be the jam and your away message.
Keep Swingin’
Guest vocals are fine.
“Cause you know we ain’t got no soul now, even when they said we sold out.”
11:18pmNo one writes that with a straight face, but it’s sung with such confidence that it … it works in a way only Good Charlotte can pull off. Like, I’m totally in, I don’t know why. I can’t explain it. It’s … there’s no good reason for me to buy into this. But, like, whatever, it’s really fun. It’s really catchy. Why wouldn’t you say fuck it and just start jumping!?
AND THEN STRINGS? STRINGS IN THE BRIDGE? WHY? WHY ARE THESE HERE? THEY MAKE NO SENSE!! Huge violin swells … the CELLO IS GOING OFF … WHYYYYYYY?
Reason to Stay
11:19pmLittle bit of an alt-country vibe, kinda like the last BLG album … little twang. have a hard time believing they’re this good of vocalists, but it works in the song anyway.
11:20pmThe chorus explodes, huge power ballad, crazy early 2000’s drums.
“I keep searching for a reason to stay, when every thing you do just pushes me away, I’m gonna just keep trying because we’ve been here before … ”
I mean … ok.
11:21pmThis walks the line of being so ridiculously cheesy and me also wanting to say “yeah, uh, why can’t any current pop-punk bands write this chorus and melody?” — like lyrics aside that melody is what other bands have been trying to do. Heh.
Stray Dogs
11:23pmThis could be the follow up to All Time Low’s Future Hearts. Full on this would work on that album. Like, I don’t care, this is good. I truly think this is a really good song.
Pre-chorus into the chorus is just divine
11:23pmIt’s just a stupid good pop song. Key on stupid.
There’s no beach in the world you couldn’t put this on this summer and get people moving and dancing a little bit.
Stick to Your Guns Interlude
11:26pmNot sure why this exists. But. Ok. Sunny. Lots of what sounds like fake strings.
“If it makes you happy, you can ride that feeling, keep your eyes open and go it alone, if it makes you wonder, if you’re going under, you can hold on, you can stick to your guns.”
11:29pmThis is what we’re working with here, but, but … like what were we ever expecting from Good Charlotte. Do you go to your favorite pup expecting the best steak? Or is there something you’re looking for that makes it familiar. That makes you smile in that stupid way you think you’re supposed to because you saw it on the TV screen when you were a kid. Where you think your friends are there for you, where you think everyone knows your name, but really the solace you find is in stupid headphones over stupid pop music and it makes the world feel a little bit better and everything make a little more sense.
I don’t know.
I clicked the volume higher.
The Outfield
11:31pmThis is every song every band singed to Fearless Records tried to write in the past 8 years, and quite a few on Hopeless.
This sounds straight out of 2002.
11:32pmNice lyrical call backs. Kinda … yeah, definitely a little The Starting Line BOATS era.
“We were the young and hopeless, we were the broken youth, you’re not the only one they used. I WAS IN THE OUTFIELD TOO!”
11:33pmHow is this a thing that gets my foot tapping? Hahahah.
11:34pmThe production on that bridge is so stupid crisp, clear, and perfect.
Cars Full of People
11:35pmThis would fit on the last All Time Low, AAR, or BLG album. Again, vocals are … they’re clearly perfected … but … I keep saying that and I keep enjoying the music anyway, so it clearly doesn’t bug me.
11:36pmThey reached on this one a little bit. It’s not the best, but it kinda works, I could see this as a fantastic road trip album. Like throw this on and turn it up and everyone in the car is ok with the selection. It’s 1989 in that way. It’s not gonna piss anyone off too badly, but it’s not taking that many risks … the entire car will be ok with what you put on. That’s the genre. Haha.
11:37pmTotal Ryan Key-like bridge.
WAR
11:40pmThis is the one song that if no one told me it was GC, I’d not know. Full on I think you could tell me it’s Anberlin and if I didn’t know Stephen’s vocals, I’d be like … oh shit! It’s full. I like what they did here. That guitar bounce.
Like the drum fills. Chants. ALL THE CHANTS.
11:41pmA little Acceptance in that chorus. Seriously.
11:43pmWhy not add a little screaming. I mean, sure.
Moving On
11:44pmEnding on the ballady thing. Makes sense. That’s what you do with this album.
The vocals sound nothing like any of the other albums, like, at all. It’s processed as hell.
11:45pmOh, but it’s good anyway, because they figure out a way to throw this cool melody into it and they make it work.
I can’t tell if a single instrument on this is “real” … maybe the guitar.
“Celebrate us when we’re gone, and forget what we did wrong, we’re not burning out, we’re not burning up, we’re just moving on … ”
11:51pmThis is absolutely a capable record. It’s a fun record. It’s stupid. Make no mistake, it’s fucking stupid. But it’s also like exactly what it should be and no more. And by being no more it also means it’s no less. It’s as Good Charlotte-y as any Good Charlotte album should be. If we end up with a Blink-182 album that gets itself as well as this album gets itself, we’re going to consider ourselves lucky as hell. It’s what I wanted NFG to figure out about themselves for like 4 albums. It’s the mix of nostalgia and new that works like a cold beer versus a room temperature one. Good beer and room temperature is going to taste better, but you’re a little annoyed the entire time you drink it, bad beer that’s cold, well, it’s fucking cold, it’s beer, you’ll deal. There’s a difference in quality between each, but you struggle to put into words exactly what the difference is — or, what it means — but it’s there.
That’s here. That difference is here. It’s cold, bad, beer. But it’s good. It’s refreshing. I want another sip.