I love a bit of Ramonescore pop punk music. I'm forever searching through the pop punk section on Bandcamp looking for a hidden gem so when Jay from long running Massachusetts band The Prozacs sent me a message I was excited. The four piece were releasing their first full length album in nine years, and the fourth of their long running career, named Exist and containing twelve new songs that I'm hoping will be pop punk gems. Let's find out!
The first song on Exist is named Cortexiphan Trials. After a quick piece of research I discovered that Cortexiphan is a fictional drug used in the TV show Fringe that can give children of a young age supernatural abilities. So the song is a bit of fan fiction about that. It's a fast paced pop punk tune that begins with some whoa-ohs and powers ahead at a breakneck speed. The next song is titled What I'm Thinking. On my first listen I loved the vocal delivery on the track. Jay Prozac sings at a high-tempo and puts an exclamation point on the each line adding a fair amount of punch. The song is about dealing with the frustration of wanting to make a change in your life but being held back by someone. Travel The Universe begins with a softer and slower approach but soon picks up the pace. It has the most infectious melody that will have you bopping along without even realising you're doing it. When you're bopping along without knowing it that probably means you're having a good time listening to the song. That's what I want from my pop punk music. Travel The Universe is a love song where Jay sings about doing anything he can to get back to the one he loves.
The fourth song, Invisible, feels much darker musically than the opening three songs. I loved the simplicity in the lyrics of the song. It's extremely repetitive with the same lines being sung over and over again. This makes it accessible immediately so you can sing along from the start. Invisible is simply about not wanting to been seen or heard. Up next is the song Wormhole. This song is a science fiction love song, something that seems to pop up a lot in the world of pop punk. In the song Jay pleads to someone not to go back to their old ways and undo all of the work they've done. I loved the metaphorical use of wormholes as time machines here. Creative songwriting. On my first run through of Exist the sixth song, I Against Me, was the one that really stood out. This might just be in my head but the drums at the beginning of the song kind of reminded of Against Me! I Against Me is a song that is split into three distinct sections. It starts out slowly with the Against Me! drums. Then the pace noticeably picks up to more of a melodic sound and then we hit the red button and go into light speed for a while. The song kind of leaves you all over the place with the tempo switches but this keeps it sounding fresh.
The second half of the album starts with Sonic Diffuser. Starting this half of the album off at the same speed as the first finished it appears that The Prozacs will not let you pause for a breath. This is the first song on Exist that really allows Paul Basile's skill on the bass guitar shine through with a couple of nice little breakdowns. The track's ending is far and away the most intense section of the album some screams of "Sonic Diffuser" completing the song. So straight after I say it doesn't seem as if The Prozacs are going to slow down they chuck in this softer number named September. September is a nice little pop song where the band are joined by guest vocalist Andy Nihilate. As much as I was enjoying the in your face pop punk assault that was escaping from my speakers, I enjoyed this subtle and softer song. It shows that The Prozacs aren't one trick ponies and also have a softer side. The drums of Matty Prozac and the bass of Paul Basile are again allowed to shine for the introduction of Trusting Lies. They do most of the work on the song being accompanied by Jay's vocal with the guitars only really being prominent for a solo midway through the song. The gang vocals on Trusting Lies are the best on the whole album with big shouts of "You're A Liar, You A Liar" for the chorus. These gang vocals give the song such a big and wholesome sound that I thought was excellent.
Piece Of Me really focuses on Jay's vocals. They really do a fantastic job of carrying the melody of the song. The song is about losing your mind and feeling like you're "missing pieces of your brain." Of course, like with all the great pop punk songs, there are plenty of "whoa-oh" harmonies throughout the song that have me singing along gleefully. I think that Piece of Me is my favourite of the twelve songs on Exist. The penultimate song it titled Badman. Badman incorporates a bit of old school rock 'n' roll to go along with its pop punk stylings. Again the song is fair simplistic lyrically with repetitive lyrics that will quickly take up residence inside your mind. Obviously this song is about being a bad man. Jay repeatedly tells you over and over again that he is infact a bad man. Exist is completed by the song Olive with Andy Nihilate returning for guest vocals. Jay and Andy spend the song singing about the breakdown of a relationship. The trade off between the singers really adds a fantastic extra element to The Prozacs sound and I kind of wish they had utilised the female vocal a bit more throughout the album. This was a strong way to finish a great pop punk album.
If you're a fan of The Ramones, Screeching Weasel, The Mr T Experience, Teenage Bottlerocket, Masked Intruder or any of the other pop punk bands of this ilk, then I have no doubt that you will thoroughly enjoy The Prozacs. First check out Exist and then go back and check out their back catalogue which is full of brilliant pop punk.
Stream and download Exist here: https://theprozacs.bandcamp.com/
Like The Prozacs here: https://www.facebook.com/TheProzacs/
This review was written by Colin Clark.
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