Pennywise’s new album, “Reason To Believe”, is out now on Myspace.
Although you probably wouldn’t know it much reading through the posts on this blog, I used to be into punk. And I mean big into punk. For a few years there, it was all I cared about. Nowadays, only certain punk bands have made it into my mainstays… The Clash, Rancid, The Stooges, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Bad Religion and a few select others. However, while they may not have made that list, Pennywise still hold a special place in my heart. So it was with much interest that I found out they were releasing their album – for free! – on Myspace. (side note… how often have we seen these types of releases around here lately… quite a few, it seems).
And so on the 25th, when the album went live, I rushed to download it. And it’s only been a cursory few spins so far in the last few days, but so far… I’m liking it.
I mean, let’s be honest here… Pennywise know what their fans like. And as soon as they nailed it, they were hardly going to mess with a winning formula. So the album isn’t anything startlingly ground-breaking from them. While it doesn’t hit the highs of “Unknown Road” or “Straight Ahead“, and doesn’t feature a “Bro Hymn” or “Alien” equivalent, it’s still well worth a listen.
“Bro Hymn” by Pennywise has become something of a punk anthem.
Anyway, I’ve been out of the punk scene for far too long to get into the album in detail here. But I definitely think it’s well worth your time. If you’d like a download copy of the new album, “Reason To Believe“, what you’ll need to do is go to Pennywise’s Myspace page, and click on the album link. It requires you to add “Textango” (a mobile music distibutor, who is releasing the album in partnership with Myspace) as a friend. It promises “no spam, no tricks, no bullshit“… and so far, they’ve held to their word. Adding them as a friend is a requirement to download the album though, so no add… no album. I hate this kind of marketing, as you always feel they’re going to screw you with spam, so I leave it up to you to make the choice.
If you need to hear something first though…
Listen: Pennywise – It’s Not Enough To Believe (from new album, “Reason To Believe”)