Review: The Young Hasselhoffs – “Life Got In The Way”

Mom’s Basement Records, 25 Nov 2022

The Young Hasselhoffs win me over with Life Got In The Way.

I’m mostly a Young Hasselhoffs latecomer.  I had no knowledge of them whatsoever until Mom’s Basement announced a re-release of The Obsolete Man, the band’s 2011 release, and this upcoming album.  I tend to love Mom’s Basement releases, so, trusting their seal of approval, I looked up The Obsolete Man to get a taste.  And if I’m being completely honest, I was a bit underwhelmed.  I found it a little too saccharine, a bit heavy on the pop and a bit light on the punk – basically, the songs were good, but not quite where my tastes tend to be.  Expectations for Life Got In The Way were tempered and, even after a couple of good pop singles from the new one released, the full-length came and went and I just gave passing listens.

I think back to the first time I listened to Life Got In The Way and the opener “Little Poems” started in with its sweetly acoustic sway. I was out – I thought “nope, this one isn’t gonna be for me”. The rest of that first listen was pretty passive as a result. Songs played, a few got me tapping along, but I didn’t pay close attention. The next time I gave the album a try, “Life Got In The Way”, the second song, got my attention again (I had positively reviewed it as a First Impressions Review earlier) – but this time I was suddenly put off by the “as I lay me down to sleep” part – my dumb bitterness took a “nice try Young Hasselhoffs, but I remember Jimmy Eat World doing something like this with that ‘A Praise Chorus’ song” approach. So, once again, I stepped away for a while.

But a funny thing happened. Over time, Life Got In The Way wore on me.  I stopped trying to hear the album as a punk release and started hearing it as a “grown-up” pop record.  Where I previously heard the acoustic moments as an overused remnant of 1990s pop punk records, I now heard “Little Poems” and the start of ”Pull Me Out Of The Scene” as fantastic set-ups and “Sweet Matilda” as a dynamic change of pace moment that made the high-energy stuff pop.  Where I judged the melodies of songs like “Quiet” and “Eugene McCray: Ex-Guitar Hero” as nearly too sweet and poppy for a punk record, I now heard them as just right for a pop album.  And where I thought the production everywhere was too pristine and lacked the rough-around-the-edges grit of my favorite punk stuff, I now noticed it as clear, open, and defined.  And I came back to it real quick after this revelatory listen – again and again.       

Favorite songs are now all over the record.  I’ve completely come back around to my initial like of the title track, but now the melodies have a full grip on me – I don’t think there’s any going back.  Same goes for the power chords, backing vocals, and “nah nah’s” of “Babydoll” – there’s a vocal melody singer Matt Stansbury hits on lines like “how could any less suffice” that is ridiculously good and memorable.  The aforementioned “Quiet” (a true pop song with guest vocals by Barbara Stansbury) and “Pull Me Out Of The Scene” (which bursts and gets all wide-eyed after the acoustic start) both stick around real nice, too.  “Turnaround” is one of the best pure pop punk songs I’ve heard in a bit – great big melodies on a chorus that is catchy as can be.  “Barbara, Pt. 2” is in the same vein – there’s a sort of Green Day feel to the song that’s endearing.  And my favorite is probably “Ms. Penny Mitchell”.  The video game style melody on the intro gives into an opening verse that actually surprised me melodically before the hook-heavy chorus and “whoa-oh” backing vocals slayed me and won me over once and for all.

So the lesson learned is this: open your mind, put in some work and appreciate the pay-off.  Life Got In The Way has converted me and I’m now incredibly relieved that I got over myself enough to just simply enjoy this.  

Favorite song: “Ms. Penny Mitchell”

Favorite moment: probably the vocal melody in “Babydoll” (mentioned above) 

Favorite whatever else: the “whoa-oh-oh” vocals when “Pull Me Out Of The Scene” goes wide-eyed