Artist: The Wonder Years

Album: Suburbia I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing

Record Label: Hopeless Records

Soundwaves: 5/5

Sounds Like: No-frills pop-punk

New Found Glory. Blink-182. The Starting Line. Yellowcard. All are bands that make up the Mount Rushmore of pop-punk, staying true to the genre while garnering mainstream appeal. With his honest and cautiously optimistic look at the upsides and downsides of suburban America, The Wonder Years lead singer Dan ‘Soupy’ Campbell proves the band belongs in the line-up.

The six Philadelphia pop-punkers have followed up their endearingly personal album ‘The Upsides,’ a record with lyrics that delved Campbell’s innermost thoughts. Pristinely produced, fueled by emotion, and raw with energy, ‘Suburbia I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing’ is as straightforward as pop-punk can get; it echoes both the confusion and triumph of turbulent 21^st century America.

Whereas the lyrics on ‘The Upsides’ read like pages torn from Campbell’s diary, the lyricism on ‘Suburbia’ reaches out on to a broader audience and is much more relatable to the average listener. In the strong opener ‘Came Out Swinging’ Campbell’s voice, backed by Mike Kennedy’s relentless drum fills, soars as he poignantly states: ‘I spent this year as a ghost/and I’m not sure where home is anymore.’

Each song is a brushstroke that paints the story of Campbell’s life on the road, a self-narration that includes the blistering struggle for happiness (‘Local Man Ruins Everything’) and a frenetic retelling of the band’s unlikely success story (‘My Life as a Pigeon’). No matter how frustrated Campbell sounds on some of the more desperate tracks, such as ‘Hoodie Weather,’ there is always a glimmer of hope – a constant thread woven throughout the record. It’s especially clear in ‘Local Man Ruins Everything’ when he sings: ‘it’s not about forcing happiness/it’s about not letting the sadness win,’ just before the entire band launches into a rousing verse of group vocals.

Tracks ‘Woke Up Older’ and ‘Summers in PA’ highlight the almost tongue-in-cheek self-awareness of the record, reflecting on the past by referencing word-for-word lyrics from ‘The Upsides’ and looking forward to the future with cynical optimism. Both songs feature full-voiced sing-along choruses that have the potential to bring down the roof at any venue The Wonder Years play, and showcase hands-down some of the band’s best guitar riffs.

The Wonder Years musicians are at their best when lyrically attacking the problems they encounter in suburban life, with the controversial primary target on ‘Suburbia’ being blind faith misplaced into backhanded religious morality. Between candid and plaintive vocals and indie-style guitar chords, ‘I Won’t Say the Lord’s Prayer’ acts as an honest open letter against religious naivety. 

The record comes to an unyielding crescendo with the album’s five minute closer ‘And Now I’m Nothing.’ Kennedy’s precise beats steal the spotlight during the outro, but the eardrum assault of the song’s core balance between Campbell’s wistful exclamations and unblemished guitar riffs proves to be just as powerful.

Even when the radio is overrun by gimmicky songwriters who just want to sing about partying, falling in love, making money, or all of the above, The Wonder Years promise listeners a reason to be hopeful, having written one of the most meaningful albums of the decade. ‘Suburbia’ might not be what this generation, accustomed to vapid tracks crafted to climb the pop charts,wants – but it’s the album this generation needs.

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Published on June 14, 2011 at 12:00 pm