The Arrivals – Volatile Molotov

In my latest review for Man Overboard’s Real Talk, I talked about a “pop punk ladder” and placed Man Overboard near the bottom. It was alright, but nothing all that outstanding. For their part, The Arrivals will be found securely on the upper rungs of the pop punk ladder having delivered a catchy, intelligent and thoroughly fun album through the thirteen songs that create Volatile Molotov.

Not a generic or by the book album by any means, The Arrivals mix the varying elements perfectly. Honing in on a UK pop punk sound ala Futureheads alongside some Billy Bragg social commentary and you may be surprised to find out that these four dudes come from the Windy City and not from across the pond.  Of course, if pressed, I could easily name a few State Side similarities – American Steel andCobra Skulls – but it’s how they combine all of it together that makes The Arrivals climb higher up that ladder.

You see, Volatile Molotov is filled to the rim with hooks and melodies. It is both catchy and danceable (seriously, listen to The Dilemma and try not to shake that ass – it’s freaking impossible!) but not due to them writing for the lowest common denominator. No, these hooks flow naturally at a steady and unwavering pace. That pace is propelled through the constant drumming of Ronnie DiCola who heeds the ideal of “less is more.” He doesn’t barrel through every song with ferocious intensity but instead works with interesting rhythms and tempos, making the songs that much more memorable.

Two vocalists, Dave Merriman and Isaac Thotz, alternate vocal duties with slightly different delivery styles but they’re still able to blend together to create a fluid album with just the right spark of variety needed to carry the album through. Lyrically, they display a mixture of disillusion and hopefulness. They sing political songs that are truthful and wound within a story-like structure instead of simple political slogans. But even they notice that on Simple Pleasures In America and go out of their way to sing a song with a positive overtone for once and frankly, the song becomes one of the highlights of the album and the year.  With a rousing chorus (like so many of their other songs) and lyrics that see the band members celebrating the little things that they all love, Simple Pleasures In America ends the album in the best way imaginable.

Smart pop-punk, that’s what The Arrivals are; and I couldn’t be happier.

Plus, Dillinger Four’s Paddy plays bass and that’s always rad.