Reel Big Fish - Life Sucks... Let's Dance

Reel Big Fish
Life Sucks... Let's Dance!
2018
Spotify

There was a time when Reel Big Fish were perfectly dialed in. Before Ska and Pop Punk were relegated to cartoon intro music it was an edgy and exciting new form of expression. The bands of that era had all the sneer and attitude that years of punk rock had developed, but the sound was so bright at the same time. The horns felt like they were kind of muddy,yet still added an air of sophistication to the music which otherwise sounded pretty silly. Over time however those edges became rounded and ska became the sound of commercials more than what the hip kids were listening to. Is someone driving down the coast with friends in a new Chevy Cobalt, hair blowing in the wind? I bet a ska song is playing. With this in mind, anything that is truly new and commercial about ska is dragged down by the reputation it's garnered at this point. The way to overcome this of course is make a record that is undeniable, something that rises above genre to be more than anything else in the space. This new album Life Sucks... Let's Dance! does not do that. Reel Big Fish have always been corny, but in an endearing way, however on this album it just feels like goofiness for the sake of being goofy. They aren't masking a lesbian love affair with a love song anymore, instead everything is right on the nose and boring as all hell. Even the message of "man the world is fucked up" feels played out at this point.

Without the wit, these songs just become generic bores. You can almost predict each new line, each new riff, it all just feels entirely predictable. You keep waiting for something to make this worthwhile but that moment never comes. The album sounds way to clean as well. The horns are razor sharp and everything just feels produced within it's life. I know these are talented musicians and they are just this good at what they do, but you seriously don't hear one moment of looseness. The high end is also grating as hell here, with no real deep bass sounds to round everything out. There is just no growth, no new ideas which comes to a head on "Another Beer Song". The title suggest even the band are sick of writing these things, so why do they keep doing it? I don't wan to say I'm disappointed, because there were zero expectations going into this album, but I didn't think it was going to feel this thoughtless and boring. Reel Big Fish are not back, and don't expect to be blown away. It's pretty sad.

2.0 out of 10