ALBUM REVIEW: The Menzingers – Some Of It Was True (Epitaph Records)
Some Of It Was True is the seventh studio album from blue collar Philadelphia punks The Menzingers, three years after previous effort Hello Exile (reviewed here).
Greg Barnett (vocals, guitar), Tom May (vocals, guitar), Eric Keen (bass) and Joe Godino (drums) have released some of my favourite albums of recent years, so I couldn’t wait to hear this one.
The first two single, There’s No Place In This World For Me and Hope Is A Dangerous Little Thing, raised my hopes even higher; both were exultant Menzos anthems which sound set to become live favourites.
Barnett, who released his excellent debut solo album Don’t Go Throwing Roses On My Grave (reviewed here) last year, says SOIWT “is the most realized version of what we set out to do when we started this band 17 years ago — have fun and be ourselves.”
The 13 tracks here certainly sound like the band are enjoying life at the moment, which is a far cry from the melancholy-steeped retreaded 2020 effort From Exile (reviewed here).
Americana-tinged
Barnett takes lead vocals on most of the tracks, and his raspy voice is perfect as they lean ever more heavily towards Americana in more than a few places.
As ever with The Menzingers, even the most upbeat-sounding songs can carry a very different sentiment in the lyrics. The jaunty Try, the pick of the four May songs on the album, is a perfect example, as he sings: “I’m not alright/I’m losing my mind/I try try try try try try try try/I’m running out of time.”
The title track, which features one of Keen’s grooviest bass lines, is more reflective, and recalls the heartland songwriting of Tom Petty, while there’s a strong Bruce Springsteen vibe to Come On Heartache, which revisits familiar territory as Barnett sings about missing out on the girl of your dreams.
Ultraviolet is classic Menzingers, catastrophising about a relationship which is so good that it can’t possibly be this perfect, and something is bound to go wrong.
It’s not the best track on the album though; that honour falls to Alone In Dublin, another prime cut about missing a loved one, which sounds better every time I hear it.
There’s a couple of tracks which dip slightly below meet the band’s usual lofty standards, but they’re easily outnumbered by the likes of I Didn’t Miss You (Until You Were Gone) and the closing Running In The Roar Of The Wind.
The Menzingers have, for the most part, left the raw, energetic punk of their first two records far behind, which is understandable as the band – and their audience – grow older together.
Is this their best album? No. I don’t think they’ll ever surpass On The Impossible Past or After The Party, but it’s another very worthwhile addition to their catalogue. 8.5/10.
- Some Of It Was True is only available to download for now, with physical versions to follow in January, which coincides with a UK and European headline tour. Tickets are on sale HERE.
