Polar Bear Club – Death Chorus

As the advance singles for post hardcore group Polar Bear Club emerged from the void, much internet chatter arose in regard to singer Jimmy Stadt’s new vocal style. He has addressed the change in sound, saying that it is the result of undiagnosed damage to his throat shortly before recording. While the trolls are likely not satisfied with that admission, it only makes the songs more substantial knowing that he literally fought physical damage to do his part to release these songs to the world.

In addition to the vocal changes (which are not even that noticeable on several songs), a few of the songs feature a more hook heavy pop punk sound than the band are known for. This had purists crying foul, but with the album arriving such a short time after Clash, Battle, Guilt, Pride, it is nice to hear some fresh sounds from the group. They still form the base of the album around their well-worn post hardcore sound, but they add a few light spots into the mix.

Much like it’s wordy title, Why Live When You Can Die? packs in an excessive amount of lyrics compared to the rest of the songs on the album. Lead track Blood Balloon is a catchy modern pop punk tune, heartfelt lyrics with a heavy dose of mid 20s existentialism paired up with Stadt’s smooth vocals. When We Were College Kids amps up the nostalgia with a reflective rumination on the glory days of college life. Stadt looks back from the view of a post college grad, reflecting on impending adulthood while he sings We don’t wish for better things/ We stare off and we wish that/ We’ll deserve them one day. These are songs for kids who grew up on emo and hardcore music. This is music for parents of small children looking back on the days when their lives were carefree and they could afford to be irresponsible. There is a balance implied, looking back on the past, but eager to forge ahead as well. He addresses these conflicting emotions on the pop heavy Upstate Mosquito, singing It’s easy to assume the past was better in most ways. It’s more than era worship, more than helping forget today. It’s hard to give it all when you know there ain’t enough to take. The lyrical content will be familiar to longtime fans. These are songs that showcase emotion over catchy post hardcore music. It definitely has a polished sound, which is surprising considering the pedigree of producer Will Yip, whose past musical production has leaned more toward the cathartic than catchy.

For the most part, it is obvious that the core songwriters in the group survived the lineup change that Polar Bear Club recently underwent. There are some musical experiments, brief interludes dabbling in pop music that wasn’t as prevalent on their last release. For the most part, the group focuses on what they excel at and grace fans with an enjoyable album. It may not be their most instantly loved, but it grows with repeated listens.