PennywiseNever Gonna Die

Break-neck speed, tough as nails, and highly volatile. Pennywise very much stuck to their script for their brand new album Never Gonna Die. That said, it’s clear the game plan wasn’t to reinvent the wheel, but rather trim the fat—consolidate and condense; In an attempt to lay their message as clear as possible. The message being nothing short of full scale revolution.

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Instead of flipping the script, the punk rock mainstays have designed their 12th studio album, and the first in sometime with the classic line up of Vocalist Jim Lindberg, Guitarist Fletcher Dragge, Bassist Randy Bradbury, and Drummer Byron McMackin, to be a tool, nay, a call to arms for the next generation.

A strong sense of urgency comes from the fact that the opening track is the title track. The band waste no time getting to the crux of their argument. Song titles seem to apply literally in many cases—American Lies tells the tale of just that, as does Keep Moving On. Live While You Can stands out with a chorus that oozes melody and will no doubt become a standout moment in their live set.

The only way to truly gauge the success of this record is to wait 10 years, speak to the world leaders then and ask them which track was the one that inspired them to make a difference.

She Said sees the chaos tone down—marginally—to make way for a strong narrative, one of regretful and deeply personal nostalgia. By A Little Hope, the band has returned back to the message of dire socio-political circumstance and the need to retain some sense that things can be better while sarcastically questioning whether having a little hope is asking too much.

All The Ways U Can Die becomes more personal. Rather than addressing society as a whole Pennywise address their fans in dark places. A no bullshit reminder to avoid making a permanent decision based on a temporary problem.

Album closer Something New is objectively a stand out track where the band brings the greater message of Never Gonna Die home—How long will it take us to make something new? Posing the question that the current system is broken, why don’t we create a new one? We being literal—us, Pennywise fans…punk fans.

To review Never Gonna Die purely on the tracks contained within would be short sighted. The only way to truly gauge the success of this record is to wait 10 years, speak to the world leaders then and ask them which track was the one that inspired them to make a difference.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Never Gonna Die, Live While You Can, Something New
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Bad Religion, Anti-Flag, NOFX