Album Review: Knuckle Puck - 'Losing What We Love'
Chicago’s pop-punk legends Knuckle Puck gift fans the brilliant new record ‘Losing What We Love’.
For thirteen years the group have plied their trade and put together three superb albums along the way. Their relentless hard-work and devotion to their genre has led them to this point, where they are able to put out yet another masterpiece. With a host of experience on their side, Knuckle Puck’s latest body of work was sure to be a hit from the off. In the run up to the release, the group put out several extremely well-received tracks. Among these was the record’s eponymous number ‘Losing What We Love’.
Extremely fittingly, Knuckle Puck reintroduce fans into their world with ‘A New Beginning’. There is no time to re-adjust before taking in the new Knuckle Puck material. It’s fast-paced and gripping right from the first seconds. A distorted guitar opens things up, which is then perfectly matched by thrashing drums and a bassline to behold. Then, frontman Joe Taylor takes centre stage and picks up right where he left off. The track itself is everything you could wish for in a pop-punk track. It’s fast, it’s angry, it’s emotional and it really does feel fresh. The frontman sings about new beginnings and it feels to be an expression of the group’s desires to to start over with this record. It is the ultimate opening track.
We are then immediately plunged into the hard-hitting track ‘The Tower’, which was among those released ahead of the album. There are few words to describe the marvel of this one. Drummer John Siorek gifts listeners an epic performance. His efforts on this elevate the track to astronomical heights. As a heavy and distorted track musically, it would be easy for it to carry no meaning in terms of its lyrics, but this couldn’t be further from the truth in reality. The chorus is one that will have fans screaming at the top of their lungs. The frontman belts out the words: “There is no escape, when the storm takes shape and foundations break. Come and take my life when the lightning strikes. If the tower falls will this love be gone?” This metaphorical wordplay is superb. Knuckle Puck have achieved an absurdly brilliant track with this one.
The starkness of the lyrics was discussed by the band, who said: “For a long time we felt a responsibility to have this overwhelming hopefulness to our lyrics. This time around, we started writing more honestly with less intent to sound cool or hopeful.” Fans will appreciate this, I’m sure. Sometimes people don’t need hope, they need honesty and they need to be able to vent their feelings. Knuckle Puck offer beautiful respite in their new record with some incredible tracks.
The titular track ‘Losing What We Love’ had a lot to live up to, since it carries the record’s name with it. Unsurprisingly, the group have absolutely nailed it. This track shows off the band’s professionalism and tightness as an outfit. Every member executes their own section effortlessly and it all combines to make a stunning number. Most admirable in the track is the vocal performances of Joe Taylor and Nick Cassanto. They combine to give us a genuinely brilliant, angsty track. Yet again, this awareness of their lyrics and the impact of them is present. For example, in the chorus we hear the words: “Slowly we unravel, the only constant is this pain.” Despite the pessimistic words, they will offer fans a chance to pour out their hearts.
Joe Taylor stated: “Right now, the only thing that matters is the people freaking out to our songs every night.” This awareness and appreciation for their audience is evident in the new record. Tracks like ‘Act Accordingly’ are living proof of the group’s desire to put out music for the people. This one is vintage Knuckle Puck, it’s home to fuzzy, fast and feisty riffs, loud drum fills, and vocalic brilliance in the form of Taylor’s classic sound. The track builds gradually before a sheer explosion of music. The choruses are gargantuan, with yet another mighty band display. The track is a real journey, which climaxes around the 1 minute 30 mark. After the initial chorus, there is a huge build up to what becomes a frenzy of sounds, where Taylor shows off a largely unseen side of his vocals with a style inspired by many metal singers.
The record closes out with three brilliant tracks: ‘Worlds Apart’, ‘Better Late’ and ‘Fool’. The second of those is really one that sticks out, though. A constant, jangly guitar riff features over the band’s signature sound. It makes for another fresh sounding piece of music. Once again, it’s huge in its choruses. It’s thoughtful and provocative emotionally and is the perfect reflection of the album in its entirety.
‘Losing What We Love’ is an expert body of work. As the group’s fourth record, it might just be their best yet. It’s confident, it’s self-reflective and-most importantly- the songs themselves are tailor made for crowds to go completely berserk to.
Words by Matthew Caslin
