Special: First Listen Thoughts: Avril Lavigne "Love Sux", Dashboard Confessional "All The Truth That I Can Tell", Knuckle Puck "Disposable Life"

Avril Lavigne - Love Sux

Label: DTA Records

Press release: Avril Lavigne has announced that she’ll be releasing a brand new album entitled ‘Love Sux’ next month. Set to land February 25, it comes after the Canadian singer-songwriter previously teased that her seventh LP would be arriving “at the top” of 2022 on Travis Barker’s label DTA Records. The follow-up to 2019’s ‘Head Above Water’ – which will see her return to her pop-punk roots – sees features from Machine Gun Kelly, Blink-182‘s Mark Hoppus, and blackbear.

My thoughts: Avril returning to her pop-punk roots is a silly statement since she's never really been pop punk, she simply looked the part but there are definitely some pop punk bangers on this release but there's also some questionable songs including the first track on the album. F.U. was the first song written for this release and probably should've been the first one cut. The featured song with blackbear is a pretty good track but the feature itself is not great. My favourite tracks hit in the middle of the album headlined by Avalanche. It's possible some of the not so great tracks grow on me over time but this is a worthwhile spin.

Dashboard Confessional - All The Truth That I Can Tell

Label: Hidden Note Records

Press release: Get ready for sweet, sweet vindication: the Dashboard Confessional — a.k.a. Chris Carrabba — is back with plans to release a ninth studio album entitled All the Truth That I Can Tell. Anticipated February 25, 2022, via Hidden Note/AWAL, the album follows marks the first new Dashboard material in the four years since 2018's Crooked Shadows. "Honesty was at the heart of the writing process, at the heart of the recording process and at the heart of this collection of songs," Carrabba said in a statement. "I had the rare opportunity to be unflinchingly honest. But I think I would have thought in the early days that that would be commonplace. Now, I realize it's some kind of cycle within your life and there's great personal reward in accepting that."

My thoughts: Dashboard hasn't really reinvented their wheel in over a decade. Carrabba and hired guns speak to me more when they stay in the midtempo lane and thankfully there's a few of those here, The Better Of Me, being the albums highlight. Unfortunately though I found myself drifting away as the acoustic instrumentation made me think it was simply background noise and I felt like I missed tracks that couldn't keep my main focus.

Knuckle Puck - Disposable Life

Label: Wax Bodega

Press release: Knuckle Puck have announced a new EP, set for release next month. Titled Disposable Life, the five-track record is due out on February 4 via Wax Bodega. “It feels like we’re kind of rebooting Knuckle Puck,” says explains vocalist Joe Taylor. “Making this music has been the most fun we’ve had in a really long time. It was fresh and exciting again. It was like, ‘Oh man, this feels like it did in 2013.’ We captured some of that magic.”

My thoughts: I did not get the "this is 2013 Knuckle Puck" mentioned above while listening to this EP but I'm fine with it. This is simply a fun continued evolution of Knuckle Puck and I'm all here for it. You also feel like they're having more fun here, guessing not needing input from the label makes an album recording feel more carefree. The blink cover was a fun touch to close out the album as well.

Special: First Listen Thoughts: Waterparks "Greatest Hits", Hot Mulligan "I Won't Reach Out To You", Foo Fighters "Medicine At Midnight"

Waterparks - Greatest Hits

Label: 300 Entertainment

Press release: Pop-rock trio Waterparks have announced the release of their new album, Greatest Hits, for May 21st via 300 Entertainment. With the release of their fourth album, the band are revving up for a whole new era. Waterparks never sit still. The Houston trio—Awsten Knight [vocals, guitar], Otto Wood [drums], and Geoff Wigington [guitar]—manically move forward, shucking and jiving between fits of rock, alternative, and electronic with pop ambition and hip-hop’s bold and blatant disregard for the rules. As they usher in the Greatest Hits era, the band only pick up the pace.

My thoughts: The back half of this record stands out over the front half which has some of my favourite singles but not much else I'd go back to after 1 listen. The non-single highlights are The Secret Life Of Me, See You In The Future, Violet! and Like It. Lots of hip hop influence on this record which shouldn't surprise since Awsten loves singing fast as it's not something most can do but with the emphasis on electronics on this record it comes off more hip-hop then past songs that featured the same style but backed by guitars (Little Violence and Blonde). Only time will tell if I will enjoy this as much as the previous 3 Waterparks full lengths but we're off to a good start.

Hot Mulligan - I Won't Reach Out To You EP

Label: Wax Bodega

Press release: Like many bands last year, Lansing, Michigan’s Hot Mulligan—the #1 Hot New Band per their Facebook page—put out an LP in 2020 that they didn’t get to tour. This year, they’ll release I Won’t Reach Out To You, an EP that operates as a response to their 2020 full-length You’ll Be Fine. The EP is bookended on the first and last tracks by a resounding glance-back at a world that simply doesn’t exist anymore: “Stay home, stay home/You said it wouldn’t make a difference whether we could be together or not.” The new EP comes out on May 28th on Wax Bodega.

My thoughts: Coming in at 5 tracks, 2 of which clock in at 1:30 or less there isn't much that Hot Mulligan gives us here, though I'd be amiss to expect a lot given the full length has barely been out a year. The two singles, Featuring Mark Hoppus and Pop Shuvit are the only 2 I'll likely come back to, the closer has potential but not sure I'll give it enough listens to properly change my mind but we shall see!

Foo Fighters - Medicine At Midnight

Label: RCA Records

Press release: In what's clearly the biggest news story of the weekend, Foo Fighters have officially announced the details of their new album. The 10th studio effort from Dave Grohl and company is called Medicine at Midnight, and is due out February 5, 2021. The album announcement comes after the Foos debuted "Shame Shame" during their performance on Saturday Night Live, which aired just hours after the U.S. presidential race was called Saturday in favor of Joe Biden over incumbent President Donald Trump.Medicine at Midnight is self-produced by Foo Fighters along with Greg Kurstin, who also produced the band's last effort, 2017's Concrete and Gold.

My thoughts: Colour me surprised. After listening to the 4 singles that have gotten the music video and radio treatment I was not terribly excited for this album but low and behold the deep cuts are better. I didn't hate Waiting On A War or No Son Of Mine but lead track Making A Fire and perhaps the most classic Foo's sounding track Holding Poison are by far the best tracks on this 9 track full length. Definitely moving in a more 80's rock direction (think Queen or Bowie) but I don't hate it. It's better than treading the arena rock water that they had been for about a decade.