Hands up who hasn’t heard of Pennywise. No hands? No, I didn’t think there would be. You see everybody has heard of Pennywise – whether they like the band or not. They may not have reached the heights of popularity of some of their peers, but this is a band that have pretty much become an institution in their own right and have a large base of dedicated fans. ‘The Fuse’ is the band’s latest studio album and features fifteen trademark songs.
One criticism that has always been laid at the feet of Pennywise is that all their songs sound very similar. It is a very hard criticism to defend against. Undoubtedly this is a band who feel comfortable in their sound and have no desire to change. If you’re looking for innovation this is not the album to find it on.
‘The Fuse’ then, feels very familiar from the word go. That is not to say it’s a bad album though. Although this is essentially a retread through what has come before, there are some very good songs on offer here. Whilst the band may never hit the heights of their earlier work, where their material was fresh as well as rousing and honest, this is a very solid album. There are occasions when the songs on this album are very good. Some of the highlights include ‘Fox TV’, the Bad Religion aping ‘Competition Song’ and ‘Kids’. ‘The Fuse’ also features some of the band most radio friendly material of recent times – I’m including album opener ‘Knock Down’ in this category. However, there are also times where Pennywise are seemingly going through the motions. Tracks like ‘Yell Out’ and ‘Best I Can’ just don’t stick in the mind for any time at all.
You will know instantly whether this album will appeal to you. Long term fans will enjoy being in familiar territory but detractors of the band won’t be won over by this. The band have produced much stronger work in the past, but ultimately ‘The Fuse’ is a solid, if a tad uninspiring, addition to Pennywise’s discography.
Mark
