By SARAH SHAW
After making the move from small independent label, Red Scare Industries, to one of the biggest independent labels around, Epitaph, four guys from the Liberty Bell state, have proven there are more things to love from Scranton, Pa., than just NBC’s The Office.
The Menzingers’ third full-length album, On The Impossible Past, is a depressing, apologetic love letter to the lives they lived as teenagers and young adults.
Reminiscing about drugged and dazed nights on tracks such as Sun Hotel, while offering up relatable memories of past loves on the track Casey, allows the band to ride a line between the good and bad of growing up in the middle of nowhere.
Chamberlain Waits, their sophomore album which Punk News chose as 2010’s best punk album of the year, resulted in great expectations.
With any move to a larger label comes the pressure to produce an album of not just quality recordings, but of increased song writing and instrumental talent.
Travelling to Chicago to record at Atlas Studios with Matt Allison (who has previously recorded albums by Alkaline Trio and The Lawrence Arms), allowed The Menzingers to showcase their progression, not just in advanced guitar rhythm, but sonically and vocally.
But most importantly, lead vocalist Tom May proves that his unique ability to perpetuate a sound of sorrow, while still remaining hopeful, plays a crucial part in setting the tone for what should be another contender for punk rock album of the year.
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