Reach for the Sun is one of the most highly revered albums released in the pop-punk genre in the last ten years, and rightfully so. It provided an emotional, yet ridiculously catchy, soundtrack to endless summer nights. Then came War Paint, which proved that the band was more than just a one-trick pony. We saw a grittier side of the then-four-piece, and it was obviously a side they were comfortable expressing. After two more relatively underwhelming records that demonstrated a band losing their footing, and trying to find their way back, Mother Nature is both the return to form and branching out that reminds us fans why we fell in love with them in the first place.
The first half is jam-packed with banger after banger. ‘Blind Ambition’ kicks things off with a groove that makes you instantly bob your head like an embarrassing dad trying to look cool while chaperoning a school dance. ‘Bring Me Back to Life’ may be the catchiest song they’ve written since and is the first to show a new element of their sound that can only be described as ‘Cure-esque’. And then there’s ‘Virginia’, with an earworm of a chorus destined to get stuck in your head for days.
Reach For The Sun will always be their most beloved record, but it’s not too early to call Mother Nature their best. Roll down the windows, put the car in drive and cruise around those classic back-roads you used to know like the back of your hand. The Dangerous Summer is back – for real, this time.
Haiku Review
Dangerous Summer
Brings us back to life once more,
Reminds us of home
🍒🍒🍒🍒
Words by TJ Foster
