Adult Dude

Adult Moods (2015)

RENALDO69

Adult Dude is such an appropriate name for these Brooklyn punks. Words such as 'dad-punk' don't really sit well with me and justify the music they make when you try to classify it but if I were really pegged to label them, it'd be more along the lines of seasoned and weathered punk. Adult Moods is a great example of how punk (and rock 'n roll) in general can sound so good when done with a sense of maturity brought on by a band that's unafraid of shelling out a heap of personal secrets from life together and on the road. These songs are intimate bangers that fans of Superchunk and Built To Spill would surely enjoy.

"80 MPH" and "Riff Dog" are fine examples of this. Lighthearted with vocal textures rising and falling to match the tempo of simple yet pretty driving punk chords. Everything fits so well and if you're looking for a mash-up of '90s alternative with punk, then look no further. In fact, there are parts on the album that throw you back to bands like Dinosaur Jr. and Jets To Brazil in terms of musical structure and how easygoing the songs slip by. "New Son Gay" is where their older headspace comes into play, not just in terms of addressing a touchy issue that the old-school may not have accepted, but it's also a great example of how their fuzzed-out guitars ring loudly. It shows how they smartly craft their catchy melodies while wading from track to track with such depth. This follows through on songs like "Cupcake" and "Have Everything" which at times feel like the middle ground between Success and Red City Radio. Tinges of so many influences appear without the band every really coming off as trying too hard to copycat or infuse different sounds.

Then comes one of the biggest songs on offer in "Hev Dog". It's a passionate, distorted time-machine that takes you back to when grunge ruled us dinosaurs. It's a great change in tempo, slowing down Adult Moods to something that's less straightforward and more leaning to introspection. This song in particular feels like it addresses inner-turmoil of the world in its slow timing. I'm still surprised it didn't close off things. Ultimately, Adult Dude do manage to churn out some cookie-cutter material and I'll admit were it not for these filler tracks, I'd rate the record higher. Honestly, the good songs, if collected on an EP, would have been really sick. But as an LP, a couple songs don't feel like they mash up well with the others. However, you can't deny how awesome the album shapes up overall. Again, it isn't filled with tales of salad days or that brash, youthful exuberance when we loved to fuck life up. But what it does pack is an adult sensibility of how life works and just how we go along, day-to-day, subverting it to fit in and survive.