This review is part of a series looking back at significant albums on their anniversaries. Through the benefit of hindsight we will be viewing the album not just as it was released, but how it stands the test of time, as well as its place in the band’s discography and the genre in general.
Epitaph Records – 23 Sep 1997
The Bouncing Souls release a record at a crossroads
Twenty five years ago today, The Bouncing Souls released their self-titled LP. After two releases on BYO Records, including the classic Maniacal Laughter, this saw these four Jersey mooches make the jump up into the indie majors with Epitaph.
The first six tracks are classics of the Souls’ catalog. The intro to “Cracked” hints at the band’s former funk influences before careening face-first into a circle pit. “Kate is Great” is an anthem for the band’s struggles at growing up, while “Low Life” and “East Side Mags” are about the band’s move to the Lower East Side. “Chunksong” benefits from lyrics penned by Timmy Chunks, the lead singer of Token Entry, roadie for Green Day and the namesake of the Souls’ own Chunksaah Records.
If the album ended here—maybe including “East Coast! Fuck You!” and “Shark Attack”—the Souls would have released a classic EP that’s highly influential to easycore. However, the wheels soon start to come off this wagon.
The seventh track. “The Toilet Song”, an autobiographical ode to a punk house eviction, tells a story I’m unsure anyone cares to hear. “Party at 174” explains the rationale for hosting house shows in New Brunswick in 4/4 time. “The Screamer”, while a fine instrumental, sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the album.
That said, the second half of the record also hints at the band that the Souls soon become. “Single Successful Guy” tells the other side of the tale of a peer’s success, while in “Serenity”, singer Greg Attonito acknowledges past mistakes before concluding that he has to be true to himself.
The Bouncing Souls are very clearly at a crossroads in 1997. About half the record is tight, while the other struggles to find consistency. Luckily, the band figures it out soon enough, setting up a murderer’s row of classic records in the next six years, with Hopeless Romantic, How I Spent My Summer Vacation, and Anchors Aweigh.
Once hailing from the salty tundra of Syracuse, NY, Ben now calls the DC suburbs his home. He fell in love with punk after listening to Punk-O-Rama 3, Less Than Jake and MXPX in middle school. He loves to slam dance but is too large to stage dive.
When he’s not pretending to have exquisite musical taste, he’s raising two children, designing RPG products and practicing law. (Who knows if he’ll ever get the hang of it.)
