Today's review is of Belgian pop punks The Octopussys new
album Leagues Below. Since forming in 2005 The Octopussys have aimed to deliver
the perfect summer punk rock soundtrack with great riffs, melodies and
instantly sing-able lyrics.
The first track on Leagues below is named Halfway Around The
World. The opening chords of the song are energetic and from the start you know
this album is going to be good fun. Naturally, this being a pop punk record,
the song is about girls. This one is about getting over one after being lead on
for a long time. I'm sure we can all relate to this. The melody in the chorus
is great for making a crowd want to jump up and down. Daddy Issues is about a
girl who is insecure and makes terrible decisions because of this, and then the
strain it puts on a relationship. This song really reminds me of a band named
Rufio who were around in the early 2000's. Musically it's a hardcore crunchy
pop punk mash up with some soaring high pitched vocals. The guitar work in the
song Gone really stands out. The riff is fast and upbeat and makes me want to
break out the air guitar. Vocally it's more controlled and helps to tell the
story of the song. On first listen to the fourth song Don't Call Me Shirley
straight away I thought that it had the sound of a classic 90's American teen
comedy movie soundtrack. Then I had a good listen to the lyrics of the song and
it turns out the song is an ode to all the great movies of the 80's.
Ghostbusters, The Goonies, Die Hard, Terminator, Indiana Jones, Fast Times At
Ridgemont High, Ferris Bueller, The Breakfast Club, Gremlins, Teenwolf and Back
To The Future amongst others.
Cut The Ties is a song about the place you grew up changing and
being brave enough to move on to better things. It's a slower paced song but is
full of hooks. The tune is bouncy and the lyrics are hugely catch and
insightful. Oblivious brings us to the halfway point of the album and is a song
about not knowing what you have until it's gone. The tone of this track feels a
lot more serious than the previous efforts but never really hit's any big highs
or lows to keep me interested the whole way through. Ink's For Squids is my
favourite song on Leagues Below. It's a fun little song about being too scared
to get a tattoo. Lead singer Thibaut Hox tells us the story of the time he went
to get a tattoo but chickened out in the end. This subject matter is a first
for me, in all of my years listening obsessively to punk rock music I can't say
I've ever heard a song about not getting tattoos. Ten points for originality. The
eighth song Groundhog Day is about changing the past if you were able to go
back in time. Musically this song has more of a skate punk feel to it with some
super poppy vocals on top. I like a song that makes me think about things and Groundhog
Day certainly falls into that category.
Take A Hike is another fun little song about a subject I
can't believe any band ever has ever written a song about - Nordic Walking.
This is a very poppy song, but what else would you expect when a song has such
silly lyrics as "People Laugh When They See Us Passing, They're Jealous
Because Our Buns Are Nice And Tight, From All Of The Outdoor Action We Are
Getting." It's stupid but it's a lot of fun. Beer Me Up is a short song
about feeling too old to enjoy yourself at a gig. The track finishes just as
quickly as it begins and barely pauses for breath throughout. Nick Boonen's
drumming really stands out on Beer Me Up, it's hard hitting and really powers
the song along. Friendly Fire is all about friendship and no matter what
scraps, mishaps and shenanigans you get yourself in a good friend will always
have your back. For a song that is about friendship I would have liked to hear
more gang vocals on the chorus, there's some subtle harmonies but I would have preferred
a big shouty gang vocal finish on the song. I did really like the opportunity
for bass player Mark Bolsens to play a small solo, that man has some skills.
The final song on Leagues Below is named Not Your Problem. The track starts in
quite a surprising fashion with a little bit of guitar feedback we haven't yet
heard on the album. I'm not sure if the band are being serious or a bit tongue
in cheek with their message in this song. It's about running from all of your
responsibilities and problems and living carefree as long as you can. I see the
message as being a bit of a release from the real world, about singing about
what you ultimately would want to do but know you shouldn't actually. Maybe
it's a way to be therapeutic on a certain situation? Maybe I'm clutching at
straws?
Leagues Below is definitely a step up in song writing from
The Octopussys previous album Face The World. I enjoyed Face The World but felt
there were too many songs about girls and love on it so it's a pleasure to hear
the band touch on some different subjects. I think if I had heard this album
ten years ago it definitely would have been the soundtrack to my summer but it
is also very enjoyable at my grand old age of 29.
Stream and buy Leagues Below here: https://theoctopussys.bandcamp.com/
Like The Octopussys here: https://www.facebook.com/octopunkrock
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