Punk bands grow up, and more so when there’s an eight-year gap since their last album. This is where The Lawrence Arms find themselves in 2014 with the release of Metropole, album number six for the Chicago punks. That was enough time to grow old and get perspective, but not make any fundamental changes to the formula. While the band is essentially staying the course musically, the songwriting delves into growing up and the loss of youth. It’s the sort of album that could only be written after a long break, when they settle into old routines only to find everything around them has changed.
‘Seventeener (17th and 34th)’ sets the mood of the album, dripping with bitterness and nostalgia. Their sound is mellower than their previous work, aside from the odd abrasive track like quickfire ‘Drunk Tweets’, reflecting the melancholy mood of the album. It’s mature and sincere without being boring, which is a fairly important element.
While little has changed with their sound, it’s The Lawrence Arms’ change of perspective that makes the record so interesting – even if it’s a depressing reminder that we’ve got to grow old someday.
3.5/5 stars
Out now on Epitaph.
