Decent Criminal “Bliss”

Initially you might question if there is a need for another US pop punk band. That’s no fault of Decent Criminal but just a result of the seemingly constant stream of bands. However, the promise of influences from sounds such as 90’s flavoured alternative, surf and power pop had us intrigued.

We’re certainly glad we checked this album out, as right from opener “Nowhere” it’s clear that Decent Criminal are offering up more than many of their contemporaries. Together with songs like “Fade” and “Teeth” they share the typical crunching guitar sounds with catchy melodies and sing along choruses. But, somehow, they just seem to have given them an extra ‘pop’ sparkle. As “Bleached” shows, Decent Criminal seem like a band that are willing to let the melodies shine and not hide them behind a faux punk sound.

That’s not to say the band don’t also know how to use the throttle and get things moving. “Creep” is a pulsating song and along with “Loner” are the tracks that we’d expect to get the crowd bouncing and moshing (do kids still do that!) at their concerts. Whilst in contrast, “Sigh” is a cracking slice of power pop designed for playing loud as you drive down the freeway.

So, at the outset, we questioned if the music world really needed another punk pop band. The simple answer is that if they’re as good as Decent Criminal and can deliver songs full of life and bounce like these, it’s a definite yes!!