It’s been 9 years since the New Jersey outfit released their last album “Get Hurt” and whilst it received a mixed reception from both fans and critics’, it was hard to argue that they weren’t at the height of their powers. Following an extended hiatus they now return with their sixth record “History Books” with Great Expectations (no pun intended there). The result is something that plays it somewhat safe throughout and at times you’re longing for the rawness of their early years.
A perfect example of this is in the opening track Spider Bites” and which really should make an impact after almost a decade aware, however instead it feels like it should be somewhere in the middle of the album. If you compared it to something like “45”, this isn’t a track you could see yourself singing along to. The title song which sees the long awaited collaboration with hometown hero Bruce Springsteen and one of the main influences on their sound over the years. What should be a dazzling combination between these two artists, ends up feeling somewhat unremarkable.
Their first single back “Positive Charge” is also one of the album highlights. It’s pure stadium rock that you can imagine opening up their shows next year and recaptures that charm that made us fall for them in the first place. “Little Fires” again follows in a similar suit with it’s riff in the final third that feels as big as anything they’ve done before. Because of this, it’s a shame that the rest of the album doesn’t reach those heights. “The Weatherman” simply plods along with nothing that stands out and “I Live In The Room Above Her” goes for big, but almost tries a little too hard and doesn’t pay off.
All in all it unfortunately doesn’t feel like the great comeback that it should have been. There’s clearly merit in there and on the upcoming winter days I can see this soundtracking cold walks in the park for many a fan. Maybe it was because I was expecting something a little more, however for me it was somewhat lacking.