In America this little lot have taken radio by storm. Coming across as a bratty Good Charlotte, Mest have stirred up a lot of hate by so-called ‘punks’ for playing their brand of spiky-pop anthems. In fact, they’ve sold records by the shedload. Sure they look a bit punk, but does their music cut the mustard? Well…
If you like pop punk it will be difficult not to like Mest. They’re harmless enough, with plenty of melodies and chugging guitars to get your feet a-tapping. But they’re harmless. And that’s the point that perhaps many people are missing. Mest aren’t a punk band in the same sense Propagandhi are. But I don’t think Mest profess to be anything other than a good-time party band, basing their songs on fun times and teenage heartbreak.
Kicking off with ‘Opinions’ the foursome show that they can heavily borrow from some of their peers. Indeed the opening track probably wouldn’t seem that much out of place on ‘Pump Up The Valuum’ by Nofx. It’s all harmonies and crashing drums and it’s actually pretty damn good. ‘Yesterday’ sounds a hell of a lot like Good Charlotte, who they just happen to be good mates with. Again it’s difficult to dislike this song as there isn’t that much wrong with it. It’s bouncy, anthemic and everything you want a good pop song to be.
‘Cadillac’ is the kind of song that you will either love or hate. I prefer to love it. It’s hideously catchy and has all of the MTV-hugging qualities that a band like Mest need. The DJ scratchy parts are pretty sweet too, in moderation of course. Of course it’s completely braindead too, “with the top down, seat back, rolling in my cadillac” the lyrics certainly won’t win many awards. But I bet you will still be humming this song tomorrow…
‘Another Day’ sounds a bit like the Levellers covering Blink songs, and despite its obvious likeability, it just grates slightly on me. Ditto ‘Without You’ which sounds like a very poor man’s Good Charlotte. Again, if that kind of stuff floats your boat, then you’ll lap this up. But ‘Without You’ is only bog standard fare. So it’s a good job there are tracks like ‘Fucked Up Kid’ on this cd. Completely brain dead lyrics mixed with a simple four-chord riff spells success. “Fucked up visions in my head, I’m a fucked up kid that’s what they said…”, hey I did say it was braindead… But for nigh on three minutes it’s a great singalong song.
‘It’s Over’ is in a similar vein, sounding like any of the songs that Blink put out on ‘Take Off Your Pants And Jacket’. It’s simple enough to say that if you liked that record then you’ll like Mest. I know I keep comparing them to others, but the similarities are rather glaring. ‘Reason’ slows things down with a very poppy-reggae style beat. Oh, and it samples ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow’. Oh, and it’s not very good…
‘Breakin’ Down’ punks things up a great deal, sticking to the formula that makes the genre so successful and ‘Chelsea’ is a punk rock ballad. It’s ok, nothing special. Unlike ‘Misunderstood’, which blows away any cobwebs you may have. With a raw thrashier opening, and some snazzy vocals, this is the kind of thing that Mest do best. It’s straight-up pop punk and it rules.
‘Mother’s Prayer’ is the kind of sickly sweet crap you expect N*Sync to put out. It’s grotesque, coming across like Eve6 without the talent. You can border on being a punk boyband, but with this song Mest have not just crossed that line, they bloody hurdled it and carried on running. So thank the Lord for the fine finale of ‘Living Dead’ which will quite literally rock your socks off.
Taking Mest for what they are, this is actually pretty good. If you listen to them expecting to hear Rancid, then you’ll be disappointed. But if you like Blink 182, Lit or Good Charlotte and love to hear the same old tales of girls breaking boys hearts, then there’s room in your collection for a Mest cd.