With the new Stick To Your Guns album all but upon us, I wanted to deliver my thoughts on its predecessor, the aptly named Disobedient. California Hardcore has been ruled very much the Guns since their debut full-length was released back in 2005 but their now lengthy career shows a great deal of development, culminating in Disobedient, arguably their best release to date and the final release of their deal with Sumerian Records.
It does seem a long time since we were graced with Disobedient and it has been over two years since it's release, so I think it's fair to say the new album is long overdue. But what was it all about?
Stick To Your Guns are well known for politically fuelled music, along with countless other punk and hardcore punk bands. However the diversity of the bands writing style allows for this to come across in a number of ways, not just a powerful angst ridden howling! What Choice Did You Give Us? and R.M.A (Revolutionary Mental Attitude) ring true in the normal sense but vocalist Jesse Barnett mirrors these aggressive sections with his own clean vocals, giving a well needed contrast. In particular I think this is the STYG record where we have seen this used to its best potential and I am very hopeful of further replication of this contrast in True View.
I certainly get the feeling that lyrically there are a number of double meanings, with the both expressing the disobedient nature of the writer but the struggle against that same side to fit in and know ones place. This is of course a recurrent theme for many young people in the world at the moment, the desire to break free from the shackles of ordinary life and all of the perceived musts we adhere to, only to fear a lack of inclusion by our peers if we are to discard them, may be a far stretch but who knows?! That's the beauty of music, it's all down to interpretation!
But anyway, to summarise: Disobedient is easily my favourite Stick To Your Guns record and for very good reason!
Drawing from all past, will they score last?
For the O.C spin-off, California HC: 7/10
Top picks: What Choice Did You Give Us?, The Crown, I Choose Nothing.
Disobedient was released 10th February 2015 via Sumerian Records.
Comments
Post a Comment