Society's Ills

Adversity (2013)

Rich Cocksedge

Montréal's Society's Ills return with the follow up to their 2011 self-titled album, and despite my initial misgivings about Adversity, perseverance was the key. I've said before that sometimes a break from a record allows what I've originally heard to settle itself in my head a bit. Thus, returning to the album brings about a more enjoyable experience.

Sheer laziness leads me to immediately throw in a comparison to a fellow Montréal band, The Sainte Catherines, and although Society's Ills are not quite at the same popularity level attained by their peers, their musical output is definitely worth listening to. It's melodic punk rock propelled along by big guitars and singalong choruses, lacking any rocket science with its relatively straightforward output, but one that I find ultimately appealing.

From start ("Pont Champlain") to end ("Tour Song"), the band race along at a decent pace with tracks like "All The Same," "That's How It Goes" and "Fool's Errand" all standing out to me. Yes, there are a couple of tracks that don't go down as well like "STM" and "Time Will Tell" lacking a similar drive in comparison to the better songs.

As follow ups go, Adversity certainly improves on the band's first long player thanks to a combination of stronger songs, better performance and also a more effective production. There will definitely be people out there who will appreciate this record.