The Sheds - I'll Be Fine (Album Review)

When I first heard The Sheds new album I'll Be Fine I thought to myself, this is a big step up for the band. The Sheds, who have been tagged as ska/punk, show up with a fairly great sounding punk/pop album. The ska elements are limited on this release. They are there subtly in a few songs. "Bad Things Are Bad" has a ska-ish guitar riff and a few other songs have hints here and there. For the most part though, this album is a different beast than we've heard from The Sheds on prior releases.

This is fast gritty punk/pop that has an aggressive rock edge, with a few slow parts thrown in, and a ton of melody. I think this album should easily appeal to fans of the punk/pop genre who've been listening since the mid-90s to now. "Ignorance Is Bliss" is probably my favorite song on first listen and the song I'd say defines the album. It has a mixture of everything the band is trying with this album and to me it has some good single potential as well.

Overall this is an album that finds a nice balance between the pop elements and the punk elements, between the slow and the fast which creates a nice listen. I wouldn't be surprised if many fans of the punk/pop genre call this album a sign that some bands can continue to ride the thin line between creating good punk rock music that has pop elements but doesn't loose what ultimately makes a band sound punk. If I were to have to compare it to a band it kind of reminds me somewhat of what Unwritten Law used to be able to do in their hey day, with of course a more modern twist.  This is a pretty cool album that I would suggest checking out.