Only Crime – Pursuance

A brief introduction for those few who have yet to experience Only Crime:

The punk/ hardcore “super group” are made up of members of Good Riddance, Descendents, Black Flag, Modern Life is War, Bane… The list goes on. Needless to say, Only Crime have an astounding amount of talent among their ranks. 

Seven years after the release of their last album, Virulence, Only Crime have returned with the eagerly awaited Pursuance. The only issue with the long wait is the fear that builds. Their third album was approaching a near mythical Chinese Democracy level of anticipation. Thankfully, none of the guys have went crazy and braided their hair. As the album kicks off with We Are Divided, a hardcore track with plenty of swagger, all fears are quickly alleviated. The Only Crime of old has returned, somehow managing to get even better with time. The lyrical themes are well known to fans of the group’s previous releases, striking a balance between the personal and the political. Right from the beginning, the songs are catchy and ready for crowds to sing along at live shows.

The album blasts  by in less than half an hour, but the quick pace ensures that there is no filler. Like the groups’ lineup suggests, Pursuance is a blend of fast skate punk and hardcore. Tracks like In Blood lean more toward melodic punk, with Russ Rankin’s familiar voice singing intelligent lyrics that should appeal to those who grew up in the 90’s Fat/Epitaph scene. They mix things up, touching on more technical elements on One Last Breath and the metallic No Truth in Love. The latter track contrasts angry screams with heartfelt lyrics, as Rankin asks “there’s no more truth in love/ when you let me go, who can I trust?” As they travel through the various soundscapes, the group touches on classic hardcore (See it Die), skate punk in the vein of Bad Religion (Life Was Fair) and melodic punk (Bred to Fail). On the album highlight, Absolution, the group tackles a familiar 90’s sound, provoking discussion by asking when your faith is real, there’s only so much swept away/ whose hands come clean when we wash all our sins away? The strong bass lines support Rankin as he waxes existential, in the almost spoken word stanza I will try to bring you shelter from the bitter winds of your despair, seems that all we ever do brings sadness, make believe nobody cares. It is clear that these songs contain much more intelligent thought than stereotypical punk songs about getting drunk as sung by some coked out clown. 

Pursuance is easily recognizable as an Only Crime album. The group has grown over time, but retain the qualities that made their first two releases great. Russ Rankin’s vocals and lyrics are recognizable, Bill Stevenson’s drums keep the tempo up and the rest of the guys follow suit, focusing their strengths and meshing well together, as if they were a group that actually played and toured together on a regular basis. The songs provide enough variation to prevent monotony, while still managing to remain in the punk and hardcore scene. Their is a pop sensibility interwoven through most of the tracks, where there is an inherent catchiness despite the heavy music. Despite the amazing pedigree of the players, Pursuance stands as the best release from any of the members’ bands in years.