Jive (label)
12 October 2009 (released)
26 October 2009
Bowling for soup have long stood as the kings of pop-punk comedy music, and with nine studio albums already under their belt, can the funny men from Texas still make us laugh fifteen years on?
The answer is yes, but whether this is still a good thing is surely different for each listener that decides to give ‘Sorry for partyin’’ a spin. Middle aged men making adolescent, silly jokes about farts and the male anatomy are something that will surely give most the shakes, but if you look past the overall ludicrously shallowness of the band in general, there really are some gems on this album. It is still the Bowling for soup we know (and secretly love), and that’s something I didn’t expect to change. Its 14 songs of silly, pop fun that doesn’t require much thought, but will still make you secretly giggle away to yourself at the mere mention of the word poo. ‘A really cool dance song’ is, for what it’s worth, really cool. A funny poke at the factory line dance music that litters the airwaves with its generic filth, filled with synths and a rip roaring riff that helps kick this album of to a promising start. ‘No Hablo Ingles’ (I don’t speak English for all us non-Spanish speakers) keeps the laughs going, with a funny, light hearted lyrical journey through why not speaking English would probably get you out of some sticky situations.
The first single comes in the form of ‘My Wena’, which demonstrates that there are far more euphemisms for certain parts of a man than come to mind, and purely because of this, this song should instantly be a hit. ‘I don’t wish you were dead anymore’ has a completely different sound to the rest of the album, whilst still sticking to what Bowling for Soup do best. A pop song through and through, complete with Ooos and Ahhs, pianos and a real sixties vibe, this is definitely a stand out track. ‘I can’t stand L.A’ has a brilliant Punk Rock feel to it; fast, heavy and all-round awesome.
The problem is with most of this album is that it’s the same stuff that BFS have been doing for the past fifteen years, and fifteen years ago it was great, but with so many bands doing this nowadays, it renders this album pretty much useless. For what it’s worth, the good bits are superb, but there’s nothing that stand out like ‘The Bitch song’ or ‘Punk Rock 101’ did back in the day. The worst part is sometimes the lyrics are so bad they just aren’t funny, and for most comedy value is the only thing that makes Bowling for Soup appealing. Luckily though, the band are one of the most entertaining live acts around, and the quality of the music they used to produce is still very strong. It’s a decent album, but it could have been something brilliant, instead of coming across dated and sometimes pretty dire.
