Bracket – Too Old To Die Young

California quintet Bracket was known as yet another voice contributing to the simple, catchy punk rock of the late 90’s.  But the Fat Wreck Chords band left the nest back in the early 2000’s to spread their wings and try a few new tricks.  Shortly after their departure the band took an eight year break between albums, released a mammoth acoustic Baroque-style album with Hold your Applause, and then a seventy minute, single-track rock-opera style offering with The Last Page.  The band didn’t receive all that much press coverage during this journey, so those of you that may have fondly remembered them as one of Fat’s staples in the late 90’s may have just assumed the band faded away like so many others.

Despite the band’s efforts to mature and challenge themselves as musicians, they didn’t seem to receive all that much recognition for their efforts. The results were unique and experimental, and showcased the band’s growth potential.  But as the lore around their return to Fat Wreck Chords would have you believe it, Fat Mike had a little heart to heart with the band after their performance at Fat’s 25^th anniversary show, encouraging them to stop “overthinking” their music, and just get back to writing kick ass punk songs.  And so they did.  Their latest album, Too Old To Die Young returns to the basics, offering up eleven tracks of speed and good times.

Every song on Too Old To Die Young clocks in under three minutes, with the average weighing in somewhere closer to the two minute mark.  Such concise run times make for a banger of a good time that remains easy to keep pace with.  The band’s introspection takes the form of lyrical themes exploring  “a band that despite never fitting in or really “making it,” never stopped trying.”  While Bracket doesn’t claim these songs are directly about them, knowing the band’s history suggests the topic is inspired by genuine experience.  Songs like “Canned from the Food Drive” and “A Perfect Misfit” make this clear.  Riffs in songs like “Going Out of Style in Style” buzz in and out of courses as the band makes clear that going down with the ship can be every bit as enjoyable as staying afloat.  Meanwhile, the age old tradition of “Warren’s Song” continues with “Pt. 29,” which strategically draws upon some of the heavier, gungier guitar licks that defined The Last Page, before evolving into one of the album’s poppier expositions.

Overall, Too Old To Die Young showcases Bracket doing that they do best.  Not to discredit their past decade of loftier efforts, but it’s easy to see why Too Old To Die Young will be embraced by a familiar crowd as a return to form.  The album is repetitious – as are most in the genre – but with a runtime clocking in just over twenty minutes nothing gets tiresome or overstays its welcome.  Will the band continue on this classic punk-rock route or return to their ambitious selves once more?  It’s hard to say, but wherever the band chooses to go from here, Too Old To Die Young serves as an enjoyable pit stop along the way.