Bouncing Souls - S/T (1997)

Aside from a few scattered compilation tracks, a review copy of this record was my introduction to the Bouncing Souls. As an early teenager, it seemed as if the punk community was trying to keep the Bouncing Souls a secret and consequently some backlash from the underground ensued when the band signed to Epitaph. However, when bands would usually take this jump to a big time as a chance to take advantage of a huge budget to make their first big glossy record, the Souls' first Epitaph record is more of a victory song. The production is better, but the band is playing faster and at some points sloppier than ever. I remember the first time I heard this record a friend told me it was bullshit because the drummer was skipping beats on the kick drum because he couldn't play the songs as fast as he wanted to properly. I always thought that was really endearing and proof that the Bouncing Souls were just a really good punk band filled with normal people that wrote good enough songs to get on Epitaph without any bullshit posturing.

This record has a lot of really great ups: "Kate is Great" is one of the most poignant anthems for the punk underground in the nineties, "Cracked" manages to be a fitting tribute to 80's punk/hardcore while maintaining its own sloppy personality and "Single Successful Guy" makes me feel like I'm driving around in the summer with the top down on a convertible even if I'm riding on the J train in the cold winter months. Even throwaway tracks like "Whatever I Want (Whatever That Is)" the organ-driven instrumental jam "The Screamer" are brimming with fun and life that the band has sadly been lacking since this record.

This record marks a transition. Afterwards, the Bouncing Souls would start doing things that band who sign to a larger label do: honing their specific pop-punk sound, touring relentlessly and thus seeming less passionate on stage, and experimenting with dynamics and other instruments in a more refined way. You can even see it a little bit in this album. Whereas The Good, The Bad and the Argylewas a cohesive album ostensibly built around 80's nostalgia and Maniacal Laughter was a furious blast that seemed to just say "FUUUCK YOUUUU" to everything, this record lacks that cohesion which is essentially a sign of things to come. However, that doesn't stop the songs on this record from being fucking awesome and even eleven years later I'll still sing along to every word.