Handguns - Disenchanted (Album Review)

Handguns burst onto the scene during the pop/punk revival of a few years ago. Some of the bands from that time have gone on to be at the forefront of their scene or moved onto newer sounds, while some have broken up and some are currently fading away slowly, and others are still pushing forward trying to find their footing. I think Handguns might still be trying to find their footing somewhat. They are a bigger band in the pop/punk scene but I half expected them to be bigger at this point. Angst, for me, was a good pop/punk album and probably my favorite release from Handguns up to the point of them announcing this new album. It made the band really notable in the scene and Handguns found themselves buzzing pretty much at the right time for that album with the help of Purenoise Records. Their follow-up to Angst, last year's Life Lessons, just didn't hit me as hard. The band delivered a solid batch of pop/punk songs, but I was looking for something to stand out a little more. I went into the band's new album, Disenchanted, kind of looking for what grabbed my ears about this band during their EPs and Angst.

I'm not sure if the reception to Life Lessons influenced Disenchanted, which comes only a year after Life Lessons, at all but it definitely makes me wonder (*note: a review/interview for Handguns from AltPress revealed that the band didn't think Life Lessons did as well as they wanted it to). I think it's possible that all the different options for listening to music and availability these days has created a shorter lifespan and interest with the listener for a lot of albums. It certainly seemed like with Angst people talked about the album for a lot longer than they did Life Lessons. Life Lessons just didn't resonate with me the same way Angst did. Regardless I think the quick turnaround shows some pretty positive results. Disenchanted sounds like a better crafted record. I know it captured me after one listen a lot more than the previous album did. In fact I think Disenchanted is probably the biggest statement album this band has ever made. It has some of the biggest hooks, riffs, and best lyrics this band has had to date. It feels like maybe they know they might be a little under appreciated in the pop/punk scene and really just hit the listener with their best swing while hoping for a home run. I think it's felt in some of the urgency and songwriting and I think it makes for a pretty exciting listen not just overall but also when comparing it to some of the band's previous work.

There's slightly more melody from vocalist Taylor Eby than you'd hear from The Story So Far but it's pretty much just as powerful. Disenchanted comes across slightly on the heavier side of pop/punk while still having a lot of pretty good sing-a-long-able parts and big infusions of pop throughout the album. "Low Spirits" has a bass riff that sounds highly influenced by early Blink-182 or early Descendents and the guitar riffs also have a very Blink feel to them throughout. It might be one of my favorite Handguns songs. "Bury Me" is also another great catchy song. I really dig the guitar riffs. The lyrics remind me of early-mid 2000s pop/punk bands and the chorus just has that classic pop/punk sing along vibe that makes this sound and style really fun. A lot of songs on this album lyrically lean really heavily on the heart on your sleeve emo/punk mentality. Overall I found the lyrics much better this time around and more lines grabbed me than they did on Life Lessons. Musically this is pop/punk; it doesn't stray too far from that territory. I really like how the fast paced punk intro of "Carbon Copy Elitists" moves into a more melodic song. It is a short but fun song. The intro really reminds me of the opening track on New Found Glory's album Catalyst or maybe an older MxPx song.

Disenchanted coming only a year after Life Lessons doesn't feel rushed, which was something I was worried about. Instead it sounds like the band has slightly refined their sound. The growth in songwriting might not be a big stretch, but the elements that have improved help improve the overall songs on the album quite a bit. The album is much catchier and I think it's better written than the previous album. It might have some of the best songs this band has ever written. At the end of the day this is a pop/punk album and pop/punk fans should really enjoy it. It doesn't stray too far from the formula of most pop/punk, but the band is pretty successful on the album with this sound and style. This is just the album I wanted from Handguns. It re-energizes some of the excitement I had with the band and has me interested to see what people will think of this album. The two dudes talking at the beginning of "Carbon Copy Elitists" may have said that old phrase: "I like the last record better..." in the intro to the song. However, rest assured Handguns I don't like the last album more than this one and honestly this might grow to be my favorite thing the band has done up to this point. It's a nice melting pot of classic pop/punk like New Found Glory, MxPx, and Blink-182 melded with the newer style of pop/punk post 2008-9ish. So take of your carbon copy elitist's hat while listening to this and enjoy!