Like the almost-pornographic images of doner and shish kebabs that glisten above a million drunks on a Friday night, Choose Your Own Adventure promises much but only partially delivers. While there are moments of genius, CYOA is overshadowed by the unfortunate number of utterly shocking tracks that suggest that P36 have yet to fulfil their potential.
Opener ‘…And Lost Again’ is a perfectly-balanced anthem very much in the mould of Pennywise. Hugely catchy without being over-familiar, it’s the first taste of drummer Jeremiah Strohmeyer who, apart from having one of the most gorgeously rhythmic names ever, is by far and away the most impressive thing about CYOA. All his fills are perfectly timed and his speed and ferocity is reminiscent of Byron McMackin’s strongest moments. Wherever P36 end up this guy is seriously talented, and he pushes the album up a few notches just by virtue of his playing.
But the trouble is that the guitars sometimes try too hard. The reason that ‘…And Lost Again’ is so effective is because the simplicity of the approach is so effective. As soon as the band try mixing it up and changing temp they fall flat on their faces. The riffs on ‘Day After Tomorrow‘, ‘Slot B’ and ‘Blue Monster’ sound like the sort of thing all junior guitarists try out after learning their first scales, not the frenetic licks that melodic punk rock thrives on. The mid-level pace of ‘Speedbump’ does P36 no favours whatsoever and only accentuates their considerable weakness – the inability to write songs that aren’t at a breakneck pace. Almost all the lyrics are poor and hackneyed, with regular reference to things turning grey or broken hearts and when you consider just how many bands nowadays are writing supposedly tender, introspective songs it’s tough to see where P36 fit in. If they stick to what they’re good at then they could be fantastic because there are a few scattered instances of pure punk goodness on here, so perhaps the next album will be a winner. This, sadly, is not.
Ben
www.p36.net