The Rumjacks sixth studio album and their first in four years is made up of twelve strong tracks. Opener and lead single "Come Hell or High Water" is classic Rumjacks, music to shout along to with you mates (I will not describe it as a drinking song, I will not describe it as a drinking song, I will not describe it as a drinking song…), it seagues perfectly into "They Kick You When Your Down" which is fast and punchy.
"Smash Them Bottles" is just as jaunty but very much pop-punk in style, it’s giving strong early Offspring vibes. Sea shanty "Cold Like This" which boasts a guest appearance from Dropkick Murphy's lead singer Ken Casey gives the rhythm section a real chance to shine and make you stomp along with them.
The album has screamed along up to "An Irish Goodbye On St. Valentine’s Day" but this lament and "October" which follows it both slow the pace down. "Father’s Fight" brings it right back up again and Scandal is a complete change with a cheeky acoustic start that morphs into a jaunty ska track. "Road Rash" is all about the vocal, traditional straight up punk, while "An Eye For An Eye" is a soaring and gentle folk song, but the slight edge to it means that the two songs work back to back. "Pulled From The Shore" sounds like an old school indie track, it reminded me of Idlewild.
The final track "Some Legends Never Die" was written about the death of Shane MacGowan and it sounds like they were listening to The Pogue’s 1988 album If I Should Fall From Grace With God when they wrote it. A tribute to the master of the genre is a nice way to end an album that explores all aspects of the band’s influences.
I was expecting non-stop blistering Celtic punk, but this album feels softer around the edges than previous Rumjacks releases. The second half is thoughtful and introspective. It was a delightful journey though, I am excited to hear a lot of these tracks live.
The Rumjacks are on a pretty extensive tour of Europe right now including UK dates all through February - look out for our upcoming review of their London show.
Top Tracks: "They Kick You When Your Down", "Cold Like This", "Scandal"
Rating - 4/5
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