![]() ![]() ![]() It’s the band’s first full-length with new drummer Ryan Harding and varies considerably from their last two records in that it’s not a concept album. Today, Local H released its eighth studio album, called Hey, Killer. It’s their most complete record so far and one that simply demonstrates a band in top form. With After the Party, The Menzingers have managed to mature stylishly and not lose sight of what made them so appealing to begin with. “Your Wild Years” reminisces about a past love and enjoys arguably the record’s most memorable hook, while the title track appropriately includes all of the band’s best attributes, (descriptive lyrics, raw emotion and a fist-pumping, shout-along chorus). “Midwestern States” addresses topical issues and describes a young couple trying to make it, (“We both got worthless diplomas from worthless universities/Two bachelors in worthless studies, but at least it made our parents happy”). “Lookers” is up next and it’s one of the catchiest songs they’ve ever written, complete with melodic guitar leads, Kerouac references and a healthy dose of nostalgia. “Thick as Thieves” is the first notable entry, with its crafty lyrics, (“I held up a liquor store/Demanding top-shelf metaphors”) and massive-sounding guitars, courtesy of producer Will Yip. Similarly, the songwriting has also noticeably elevated, which makes sense given that it’s been three years since the release of their last full-length. Either way, this album’s lyrics clearly represent the band’s strongest to date. As the record’s title implies, most of its songs talk about growing older, with some looking in the review and others focused on moving forward. I would get a huge LOL out of that!” Check out “High” below and take a listen to the other songs here.Įarlier this month, The Menzingers released their fifth album, marking their most mature and detailed collection of songs yet. ![]() Or maybe they’ll hear it and think that everything we’re doing is too close for comfort and shut us down with court orders and stuff. I’d love it if he reached out or mentioned SuJah Ray somewhere someday. ![]() Mark McGrath seems like a super caring, charismatic, fantastic guy. In terms of the possibility of someone from Sugar Ray ever hearing these songs, Yates said “I hope they get a good, guttural laugh out of it! Maybe they’ll be jealous that we told stories via songs that they always wanted to. Justin and I always have a blast working together.” Of course we had to get good performances, but we were focused on it being fun. I think that was a really important part of it when we worked on it we had to have fun and be silly. It was stretched out over a long time, mostly due to my dumb scheduling, but it was always fun. When asked to describe what recording was like, Tinkler said “We did the majority of tracking at Atlas, but added some bits and pieces at our apartments. Tinkler played guitar, while Yates sang and played keyboards and synth bass. Ronnie DiCola, ( The Arrivals) played drums, Aly Jados, ( Blood People) provided harmonies, and Dan Alfonsi, ( Still Alive) channeled deejay Super Cat and did some additional vocals. About five years later Dan Tinkler, (engineer Atlas Studios) some other very talented homies and I finally brought it to life.” He continued, “We’re all fans of Jahbreaker, (Brian Moss’s Jawbreaker reggae cover band that made all the lyrics weed-related) and thought Sugar Ray songs would be perfect to do a similar reggae/dub thing with.”Īssisting Yates in making this endeavor a reality were several noteworthy Chicago musicians. My buddy Dan Wallach and I joked around, changing some words here and there and then it hit me that it could actually be a cool, totally ridiculous idea. He explained, “I was wrapping up a Fireside show and playing Sugar Ray over the PA at the end of the night. The project was conceived of several years ago by Justin Yates, (audio engineer Atlas Studios/ Metro). Last month, SuJah Ray released their debut, self-titled EP. ![]()
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