Orange – Escape From LA

Orange was a band that seemed to have been overlooked. Their debut album, Welcome To The World Of… came and went with little fan fare and it was a shame because the record was pretty good teenage pop punk anthems. Even though Welcome To The World Of… didn’t become an all time favorite of mine it was still sturdy enough for me to pull out numerous times and continually enjoy it. Plus, it had unparalleled potential. Lucky for us, Orange seems to have capture that potential and built upon it on their sophomore release, Escape From L.A. – a release which shouldn’t be overlooked this time.

Escape From LA is a much cohesive than the debut as all the songs really work together and work off of one another – something which was lacking a bit in Welcome To The World Of. The entire album has an energetic pop-punk vibe to it; but not a radio-friendly pop-punk vibe to it. No, it is much more raw and direct than that, almost like a little homage to the pop-punk days of yore. A mix between old schoolGreen Day and Snuff, the songs are incredibly catchy and fun to listen to all the while keeping a punk edge to them. With heavily distorted and nasally vocals that fall between Tim Armstrong and Billie Joe Armstrong, Orange‘s vocals are distinct and unique which helps form a more vivid picture of the band putting them a step ahead of many other acts in the genre. The choruses get implanted into your head almost instantly as you can’t help but sing along with the band – especially during the gang vocals part. The right amount of woahs added in the background help make it even more memorable. Despite it being a very distinct pop-punk record, Escape From LA still shows some balls to it. Republicans is a fifty six second political punk attack that would make 80’s hardcore kids proud and the bonus track, St. Andrews,sounds like Gwar‘s What Would Brian Boitano Do? (and really excites you for the next record).

Lyrically the band seem to have improved too. Their debut wasn’t too bad as it was full of teenage punk anthems, some of which had some great lyrics. However, some lyrics were just laughable (see Orangeand I’m A Cunt for an example). On Escape From LA the band has gone for a less obscene take on lyrics, making them slightly more complex while still maintaining that simple punk rock ethic in them. No lyrics jump out at you with such power as Affirmation Song did, but Get The Fuck OUt Of My Way, The Last Punk In LA and Flying Without Fear are all big steps ahead of Cool Mexicans.

The best thing about this album is that it is a complete album without any filler or passable tracks. The entire albums works together and makes for one of the better releases of the year. Escape From LA seesOrange carrying the pop-punk flag forward, reminding the listener that the genre should rely more on the punk sound rather than the pop sound. And if it’s not overlooked, Escape From LA should makeOrange a name to be reckoned with.