Left Alone – Self Titled

It used to be that you could tell what a band would sound like by the logo on the back of their CD. Epitaph had a certain sound, Fat Wreck had a certain sound, Drive-Thru Records had a certain sound, so did Fueled By Ramen for that matter. Before hearing a band you could have an idea of what style they played simply by the logo on the back but now that’s not as easy to do. With so many labels diversifying their sound (see Epitaph for a perfect example- did you ever think they’d release something by I Set My Friends On Fire?), it’s sometimes hard to guess what type of band the label is signing. Throughout all of this Hellcat Records have stayed true to themselves and with each new Hellcat release you can be sure to get either a great straight forward punk-rock band or a laid back reggae group – Left Alone‘s self-titled effort is in the former category.

Like so many Hellcat bands, Left Alone pulls slightly from the Rancid punk rock style and sound with distorted guitars, steadfast drumming and anthemic vocals built on by “wo-oh-ohs” galore. Hell, even vocalist Elvis Cortez’s vocal style sounds similar to Tim Armstrong in certain moments – the odd accent and all. That’s not saying that Left Alone are walking the beaten path laid out for them – far from it. On the band’s sixth album, Left Alone continues to add their unique spin of ska-tinged melodies to the punk rock song structure to create an energetic punk rock record with a sense of melody and rhythm embedded throughout.

Some tracks, like Brindle, Branded and the minute long Self Made, are the straight forward punk rock filled to the brim with double bass drum kicks, fast guitar riffs and sing-along choruses. But other tracks are much more varied. On 3 Bottles of Wine and the chorus of Bombs Away they pull in a keyboard and place it nicely in the mix like Social Distortion do. Low Fidelity has a reggae tinge to it whilePorcelain and Sad Story have a definite ska feel built through upstrokes and two tone melodies.

As it is, Left Alone is a record that flows nicely, pulling in some slightly varying styles and combining them to create their sound. It’s not always the most original, they’re not trying to be; but it works incredibly well the way it is. With some balls-to-the-walls cut and some slightly more controlled and skatinged melodies, Left Alone had something for everyone. The sole downside is that at fifteen tracks, it can feel a bit long at times; still, the only song that is truly a complete waste is the instrumental Intermission.

Once again, Hellcat has done well.