Album Review: Polar Bear Club - Clash Battle Guilt Pride

Sometime last decade, Polar Bear Club became one of those bands that exploded onto the blog-centric, web-driven scene. With their debut EP, Summer of George, Polar Bear Club became a precious, secret find that oddly propelled them into becoming a rather well known group, that even today continues to grab new fans, and turn heads with each release. However, the punk/post-hardcore outfit hasn't quite moved past their punk infused melodic, yet sort of heavy sound that's defined their past few releases. And while their newest album, Clash Battle Guilt Pride doesn't exactly see the band expanding their sound too far, it's still an incredibly pleasing listen from start to finish.

As stated previously, Clash Battle Guilt Pride isn't a radical alteration of Polar Bear Club's tried and true sound, and really, that's okay by me. Ever since they dropped onto the scene those years ago, Polar Bear Club has always seemed incredibly comfortable with themselves, creating genuine music from the heart rather than the head. Record number three furthers this, all while being even tighter and even more enjoyable.

Polar Bear Club continue on their borderline pop-punk sound, injecting melody and softer dynamics into their punk aesthetics. Jimmy Stadt still employs his gruff, husky yell, which is truly excellent considering how well they fit into the overall sound of the band, with the band being supremely competent themselves. While not horribly technical, Polar Bear Club utilize wonderfully interesting instrumentation, with fantastic riffs and solid drumming. All in all, Polar Bear Club are stronger than ever on Clash Battle Guilt Pride, and it makes a solid album even more great.

Clash Battle Guilt Pride is a fantastically cohesive and consistent from start to finish, and sees the band creating some of their best material to date. Never once does the album dip in quality, offering 11 fun, heavy-hitting tracks that display how much the band has tightened up their craft. Sure they've not really progressed too far since their inception, but hell, when they're this solid, who cares?

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Track List

1) Pawner
2) Killin' It
3) Screams In Caves
4) Kneel On Nails
5) My Best Days
6) Life Between The Lines
7) I'll Never Leave New york
8) Bottled Wind
9) Slow Roam
10) Religion On The Radio
11) 3-4 Tango