It’s sort of a reflection of my semi-apathy towards new releases at the moment (and also of the industry in general) that this is the first CD that I’ve purchased with my own hard-earned cash in months. I’m yet to decide whether this dearth of interest is more down to my own state of mind or the music we chase.
I’ve had Sometimes Things Just Disappear sat in my computer for three weeks now, but only now have I verbalised my thoughts on it. First off, this is a wholly different beast to The Redder The Better which seemed to have a cult following on our forums. Befitting of the progression between titles, the harsher edge of the EP has been lost in a slight sylistic shift. This being most noticeable because the track which had me salivating over this release, ‘Our Ballads’, is in the minority when compared to the rest of the album’s slowed down melodicore motions. As it was, my hopes for an entire album in the style of Our Ballads’ spine-tinglingly gruff and anthemic calls for a virtual gender apartheid were a little off the mark. The passion it’s delivered with cannot go unmentioned, though; it’s possibly the best individual punk song of the past 12 months, for me.
Instead I’ve tried to come around to the idea that Polar Bear Club have erred on the side of melodic caution in a time when every man and his dog seems to be tacking on a dollop of fake aggression in return for a fleeting comparison to the current darlings of pop-punk and hardcore crossover. This is a little more thought out. Other favourites include the second track which builds towards a frantically brilliant crescendo of brilliance: “Bite down, ’cause everyone’s looking. Wouldn’t this be the perfect booking” (?).
But with hints of slower Lawrence Arms tracks occasionally creeping in, and the gruffer residual tracks swept to the side, I can’t say I’m not a little disappointed in where this album has gone. But that’s not to say it’s a bad release. Maybe we’re all a little guilty of pre-empting our own disappointment when it comes to an eagerly anticipated release by second guessing what direction the style will favour, but I still can’t help feeling that overall this is neither here nor there.