Millencolin – SOS

Seminal Swedish skate-punk band Millencolin was a staple in the scene back in the 90’s.  You couldn’t buy the latest Punk-O-Rama compilation without a scrappy Millencolin melody rounding out each volume.  The band started its career with fast, unhinged offerings like the iconic “Mr. Clean,” which became a given when burning my skate-punk themed CDs, and by the turn of the century evolved into a heavier punk-rock powerhouse as exemplified on Home From Home.  Since then, it’s always been about balance.  The best Millencolin releases marry that legacy of breakneck melody with the maturing songwriting defining later releases.  Their latest, SOS, seems to handily meet that outcome.

Taking little time to reassure fans that SOS is the real mccoy, the title track rips open at a blistering pace, guided by anthemic gang vocals and a searing guitar riffs.  Front man Nikola Šarčević sounds as passionate and sharp as ever, his Swedish accent blending in with his slight vocal slur. The song’s sense of urgency is heightened during the quickening chorus, almost like a stylistic love letter to the fans that have stuck around over the past twenty five years.  “For Yesterday” both acknowledges and dedicates itself, “To all of you long past your prime, to all of you in the dirt and grime, to all of you gone lost in time.” Millencolin may sound as solid as ever, but they are certainly not the cultural landmark they once stood as.  SOS is written for a very specific audience, with the band no longer trying to reinvent themselves, but rather demonstrate their commitment to keeping their dying craft alive.  

SOS has all of the range that a quality Millencolin album should.  While fans will most likely hunt down the quickest, most classic sounding tracks from the get go, the album’s variety is what will keep it in regular rotation.  Songs like “Sour Days” infuse a healthy dose of pop-rock sure to put a skip in your step, while others like “Do You Want War” reflect late 90’s pop-punk sung to the tune of present social consciousness.  Thankfully the band doesn’t attempt to relive the sluggish hard-rock from Home From Home, making the inclusions on SOS feel like the contemporary sweet spot in Millencolin’s present career.

With each passing year the list of active EpiFat bands from the mid-90’s shrinks as more and more fall into retirement or simply fade away.  There aren’t many left outside of Bad Religion, NOFX, Strung Out, and Face To Face these days.  Yet somehow Millencolin has resisted that fate and even maintained itself as one of the only bands from that era to remain on Epitaph Records after all these years.  SOS is the album you’d expect from Millencolin after twenty five years of relative activity.  If you fancy yourself a fan you won’t be disappointed.