Against Me! – White Crosses

Against Me! are the biggest band in punk rock.

I have absolutely no problem making that statement with no ifs, ands or buts. Against Me! are the biggest band in punk rock. Everybody knows them, everybody talks about them, and everybody loves them or loves to hate them. They are the poster child of rebellious teen angst while at the same time constantly being called sell-outs, posers and impostors.  Yet, throughout it all, they remain virtuous. They do what they want and ignore the rest. They write songs they want with the occasional intention simply to fuck with the listener. They have ambition and are unashamed to say what they want; and while some crusty anarcho-punks living in their parents basements may call them names and slash their tires because they no longer agree with the exact same guidelines as they once proclaimed, the people who take the time to understand their intentions see beyond the outward changes and see how Against Me! went from singing Baby I’m An Anarchist to I was A Teenage Anarchist – and it all makes sense.

So yes, Against Me! are the biggest band in punk rock and their fifth studio album, White Crosses, pushes their dominion even further. Gone are the anarchists chants of Re-inventing Axl Rose, gone are the revolutionary calls of As The Eternal Cowboy, gone is the political commentary from Searching for A Former Clarity and gone are the examinations of the music industry from New Wave. Instead, White Crosses is a personal record, an introspective look at one’s self, their motivation and evolution along with a vividly picturesque trip down southern Florida streets.

No other song explains the evolution of Against Me! better than I Was A Teenage Anarchist, a distant follow-up to their famed Baby, I’m An Anarchist track from their debut. It’s a song that plainly states that not everything is as black and white as it may have once seemed. In it, Tom Gabel sings “I was a teenage anarchist, but then the scene got too rigid. / It was a mob mentality; they set their rifle sights on me. / Narrow visions of autonomy, you want me to surrender my identity” and no one could put it better than that.

Other than the pointed title track about smashing crosses symbolising abortion on a church lawn, the remainder of White Crosses is much more widely accessible with far reaching lyrical content and universally relatable lyrics. Because of the Shame is a powerfully sincere look at the death of a love one – possible the title character from New Wave’s smash hit Thrash Unreal. Suffocation, packed with a simple and rousing chorus chant of Suffocation! Modern life in the Western World!, takes a critical look at today’s society while We’re Breaking Up details the near derailment of the band last year but can also be interpreted to any failed relationship. Rapid Decompression is a lightning fast bullet – a start contrast to the acoustic ballad Ache with Me – that sees someone on the brink of a breakdown and is nicely sandwiched between two album highlights: Spanish Mosh and Bamboo Bones; both of which sees Gabel looking for strength within himself.  The later of which sees Gabel strain his voice as he yells one of the best Against Me! couplets ever: “What god doesn’t give to you / you’ve got to go and get for yourself.”

But more than just the lyrical changes, White Crosses is yet another evolution in the sound of Against Me! as Gabel and his band of brothers deliver a much fuller sounding record than anything before. Butch Vig has left a stronger mark on this record than he did on New Wave, making White Crosses a boisterous explosion that has modern elements while giving nods back to classic punk bands of the past – likeThe Replacements or The Cure. There’s an echoey quality to Gabel’s voice at times that brings back images of British punk from the early eighties and never before could you imagine saying that the addition of a keyboard to an Against Me! track would work to elevate the song – but it’s impossible to imagine Because of the Shame or We’re Breaking Up without it.

White Crosses is not necessarily what you’d expect from Against Me!; but then again, nothing they do is ever what you’d expect them to do. It is an anthemic album, dynamic and complete, with enough oomph to have an entire stadium sing along with them.  It is a personal record, a sincere record, a self-deprecating record and an Against Me! record made for Against Me! – it just so happens that its good enough that other people will also love it.