Tuesday 20 February 2018

Album Review: Par For The Corpse by The Back Nine


Today I'm listening to yet more fantastic Canadian punk rock. This time I'm listening to four piece Ontario based punk rockers The Back Nine. Back in October 2017 The Back Nine released their debut EP titled Par For The Corpse. Judging by how much I love many of their countrymen's bands, I had high hopes for the seven songs on this release.


Par For The Corpse opens up with Curse Of The Man-Child. This is high-tempo pop punk that will get you bouncing and is full of hooks. The song wastes no time in getting going and sets a great tone of what to expect from the rest of the EP. Curse Of The Man-Child is about parents being worried about the person you're growing into and being concerned about your life choices. Muscles & Money begins with a short and sweet drum roll before some more guitars that make you want to pogo. I'm sure you can have a good guess at what Muscles & Money is about - the frustration of girls picking guys who have all of the cash and the bodies ahead of Joe Average. I really enjoyed the line "At Least I've Got Charm And Wit" at the end of the track. The third song on the EP is titled Boy Meets Corporate. This track is about having a boss who expects certain sexual favours from you if you want to get a promotion. The band take quite a humorous and upbeat attitude to the song but I'm certain that it's meant to be sarcastic.

One Nighter, No Fighter is a real throwback with its sound. It takes you back the early 2000s pop punk era with bands such as The Starting Line and Home Grown. I was slightly disappointed in the production of the song as at times the vocals are very difficult to make out and I'm sure that's not supposed to be the case. The track is about having a one night stand and then not calling the girl again. I'm sure that this is another track that relies heavily on sarcasm and these aren't the actions of the band. Track five is titled Golden Years. Finding itself more in the skate punk realm, it wastes no time in getting started and continues with a high tempo throughout. There is a massive amount of energy in the song with the lead vocalist getting his lyrics out at a great speed. This is definitely one of my favourite tracks on the EP. I'm a sucker for high energy skate punk. The penultimate song on Par For The Corpse is named Brojob. The initial guitars on the track have a bit of an atmospheric sound before the song really comes in with a bang. From there it goes along nicely. I particularly enjoyed the sudden change of vocal melody for the chorus on the track, it hits you quickly and really peeks your interest in the song. Last up is Jimmy Goodtimes. This song is well placed at the end of the EP as it starts fairly slowly and builds towards its big chorus and ending. This song also feels like it will have a permanent home at the end of The Back Nine set list. It's about a friend who drinks too much and messes everything up.

If you're a fan of early 2000s pop punk music I'm very confident that you will enjoy The Back Nine. This is high energy pop punk that will find a permanent place in your head whether you want it to or not.

Stream and download Par For The Corpse here: https://thebackninemusic.bandcamp.com/releases

Like The Back Nine here: https://www.facebook.com/back9punk/

This review was written by Colin Clark.

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