Review Summary: A solid but somewhat uninspired release that takes Polar Bear Club's sound in a different direction.
It’s always a big deal when a band suddenly changes their sound. This is particularly true when it’s a band with an established fanbase and several critically acclaimed releases. For New York’s Polar Bear Club, this change in sound coincided with two major happenings in the band’s career. First, the band signed to Rise Records for their first major label release, after an EP and three albums on smaller record labels. Second, lead singer (perhaps more appropriately “growler”) Jimmy Stadt completely lost his voice prior to the recording of Death Chorus, forcing him to abandon the gruff, raspy vocals that contributed so significantly to Polar Bear Club’s unique blend of punk, hardcore, and more recently, straightforward alternative rock.
Unfortunately for Polar Bear Club, the timing of these two events led to accusations of “selling out” for the Rochester quintet. There are no growled vocals on Death Chorus and the hardcore influences that have slowly begun to disappear since the band’s first album are more or less completely gone. Instead, Polar Bear Club released a pretty straightforward pop punk record, with most of the emphasis on catchiness and lyrical content. It’s certainly a more accessible release than their previous efforts, but there is never any indication that this was intentional; rather, it comes across as the next logical step for a band that’s become increasingly more melodic with each release.
This development works quite well in some ways. Album opener “Blood Balloon” is a hard-hitting song chock full of Stadt’s typical introspective lyrics (“Afraid of where you’re going, so you purposefully stay lost”) and a catchy chorus. Other songs, such as “WLWYCD” and the album’s highlight, “For Show”, have huge hooks, plenty of “whoa’s”, and tight, unobtrusive instrumentals. Even Stadt’s vocals, which have received a lot of criticism, sound pretty good at times, not far off from his clean vocals on old fan favorites from earlier albums (such as “His Devotee” off their first EP.) Penultimate track “Twang (Blister to Burn)” features an extremely catchy ending, with a solid vocal performance from Stadt. There are plenty of moments on Death Chorus where the band really shines, showing the potential for them to put out a great pop punk album.
However, there are also a few head-scratching moments on the record that really bring down the album’s overall appeal. Just as the album begins to get some momentum going, it slows down for the album’s sole ballad, “Siouxie Jeanne”, a dull two-and-a-half minute crooning from Stadt over an uninspired guitar part. Not only does the track placement of this song not make much sense, it’s a complete misfire, lyrically and musically. Additionally, the riffs on Death Chorus are a lot less interesting than those on previous records. The dark, churning riffs that added to the texture of so many songs on 2011’s “Clash Battle Guilt Pride” are nowhere to be found on this album. The guitar work is competent, and the rhythm section is tight, but aside from a few interesting moments, the music comes across as rather lackluster compared to prior releases. Finally, album closer “Upstate Mosquito” is somewhat disappointing for a band that’s always chosen fantastic final tracks for their records. It’s not a bad song by any means, and features some of the album’s best lyrics (“I heard you saying ‘no regrets’ and I wondered if you knew that when you got it tattooed on you, it hurt more to get removed”), but the dynamic shift seems forced and the ending drags on for too long, making it seem lackluster compared to the powerful closers of their previous albums.
Death Chorus is in no way a bad record. Save for the vocals, some songs wouldn’t be out of place on their previous two records (“Chicago Spring” and “When We Were College Kids” both come to mind.) Lyrically, Stadt is still crafting some pretty fantastic songs, and he definitely has a knack for melody. Unfortunately, for a band that has always created very diverse records, Death Chorus is a straightforward pop punk record that lacks the intensity the band showed on their prior releases. There are some truly great tracks on this album, a few choruses that will get stuck in your head, and plenty of moments that will get you banging your head around (or whatever you do when you’re listening to punk music alone in your bedroom.) At the end of the day, Death Chorus is still a Polar Bear Club record, and a solid one at that, albeit a little too bland for a band that has consistently produced such diverse and genre-bending records.
