There are more than a few moments on The Interrupters’ sophomore album that hint of Rancid circa ‘…And Out Come The Wolves’, not least ‘Phantom City’ which features Tim Armgstrong himself. He coincidentally also produced this fourteen track ska fest. Yet ‘Say It Out Loud’ avoids sounding like a copy, instead providing an energetic homage to ska-punk’s illustrious past. Immensely upbeat, the Los Angeles four-piece overlay their influences with a distinctive style and unreserved political and social commentary.
They cement themselves on ‘Media Sensation’ by attacking electoral coverage, or assert their independence on the challenging ‘Control’. Their retrospective style, still delivered with a quality above and beyond any of their contemporaries, is offset by the record’s current themes. ‘Say It Out Loud’ is brilliantly brash, in part due to front-person Aimee Interrupter’s noteworthy vocals – sitting effortlessly between Armstrong and The Distillers vocalist Brody Dalle.
Although associations to Rancid and Armstrong are unavoidable (‘Say It Out Loud’ is also the first release on Armstrong’s Hellcat Records label since Rancid’s ‘…Honor Is All We Know’), The Interrupters are successful in cementing their own identity. ‘Say It Out Loud’ never moves too far away from traditional ska-punk territory (there’s even the occasional “oi”), instead is elevated by its affinity to its roots. “Loyal ’till death, ’till death what we do,” The Interrupters repeat on album closer ‘Loyal’, clearly and rightfully proud of their origin.
BEN TIPPLE