Review Summary: Perhaps a little too radio-friendly for its own good.
After three albums of releasing their music to their Christian audiences, pop-punk band Relient K decided to take a new route and ultimately do something that fanbases of many bands would ultimately smack them for: reach out to the real mainstream world. There are so many band's that have done this and resulted in an absolute kick in the ass by their fans, especially comparing it to today's standards. Though for some reason, people actually seemed to like
Mmhmm. It follows the same formula that many bands put in their music when going mainstream, so if anything it should have been hated. But instead it wasn’t just popular and easily accessible, it was enjoyed or dare I say…loved by their fans.
If anything,
Mmhmm showcases some of the bands strongest songs to date. One example is probably their most popular/famous piece, “Be My Escape” where it didn't just take the Christian radio stations by storm, but practically all of them as well. To be fair, it is a rather beautiful song. It shows a band not just growing in their sound but in maturity as well. Sure, Matt Thiessen’s inexplicably high voice may not have changed throughout the years, but much of what the band has done with this record certainly should grab the attention of the fans at least. It's different than much of Relient K's earlier work, and many people would take notice of this. The overall flow of the album is soothing yet upbeat throughout. Songs like, “More Than Useless” and “Who I Am Hate Who I’ve Been” show more of a rock-oriented Relient K rather than punk. They’re more melodic than what the band has come out with in the past as the guitars and production are a lot cleaner and much of the drumming is toned down but not to a point where they sound lazy. Even so, “Life After Death and Taxes” brings back the band to their original roots with its tempo changes and catchy rhythm throughout. As for the lyrics, they are preachy, but it’s not as preachy as about 95% of the songs in
Anatomy, practically to a point where you could just act them out as romantic rather than religious.
Even so, much of the strong points are surrounded by the weaker ones. The shorter songs in the album are the most forgettable. They throw numerous repetitive riffs at us such as in “The Only Thing Worse than Beating a Dead Horse is Betting On One” (only Relient K would come up with a name for a song like that). It's ridiculously fast yet tiring and clocks in at just over one minute, making the song serve nothing more than pure filler. “My Girl’s Ex-Boyfriend” and “The Week the Trend” contains the obnoxious corny lyrics that Relient K has made since their debut, yet doesn’t have the same effect as they managed to do last time due to the change in style that the band is trying to go for. Not to mention, they’re extremely repetitive and lose interest quickly. Not only that, but this is probably the album with the most piano ballads in it, and they really aren't needed in the first place. While “Be My Escape,” “I So Hate Consequences” and “Who to Bury, Us or the Hatchet” are great songs, all of them contain unnecessary piano ballads at the end which serve no point at all. “Let it All Out” is a poor attempt at breaking any monotony that the album has, but it’s completely misplaced in the album.
Despite its inconsistencies,
Mmhmm is a fresh new start for the pop-punk band. Its fine blend of musicianship throughout is something to behold, and much of what the album has to offer here is actually a lot more enjoyable than one might think. Sure some people would take this as nothing more than bland, generic mainstream punk-rock, and I don’t blame them. It doesn’t push the boundaries of its genre, but Relient K does put a lot of heart and soul to this album a lot more than what other bands and artists are typically known for. It’s a fun, enjoyable record, as what much of Relient K has put out beforehand. However it’s only the beginning as to what the band can certainly pull out of their heads.
