The independently released debut album from the Toronto-based The Gentlemen Thieves packs a powerful punch of radio-friendly pop-punk hits sure to please any fan or listener of music regardless of taste or genre.
Uncertainties was recorded and produced by none other than Dave Baksh, or better known by his famous nickname Brownsound, the former guitarist of Sum 41 and current guitar player for bands Black Cat Attack and The Organ Thieves. This 11 track album with an average length of 3 minutes and 30 seconds per song has a nice mixture of not only pop-punk but even ska and hard rock elements as you delve deeper into the record and listen more.
Tracks like "Comatose Party" begin with a a deep, bass driven riff followed by the guitars and pounding drums which lead into a heavy-sounding chorus reminiscent of, well, Sum 41 in their Does This Look Infected? days. "Please Tell Me Off" brings the more ska-influenced tone of the band - the guitar tone is lighter, softer on the ears but still does the trick especially during the guitar solo where the build-up in the bridge brings the distortion-friendly solo to a short but sweet burst worthy of any veterans of the genre; the Bass is also one of the highlights and helps provide the backbone to the ska sound of the song throughout the entire track.
"Fading Echo" is definitely the forte of the entire album and easily the crowd pleaser. From the jumpy intro to the chorus and riff-dueling in certain parts of the song it is sure to be stuck in anyone's head after a couple of listens. This song embodies the true spirit of pop-punk with everything just mentioned along with the catchy melody and the outro that ends with an actual fading echo, it seems only fitting to include that in the song.
Uncertainties as explained on the group's Bandcamp 'touches on the uncertainties one may have in life - whether a relationship, profession or one's self' and as you can hear from the lyrics, more notably the track "Caught Your Eye" - 'I don't know how I'm gonna shake this feeling, my nervous system is working over-time' this sums up the whole record in a couple of lines.
The Mixing was done by Tyler Gardiner (The Penske File, Violet Society) and Mastering completed by Steve Rizun (The Flatliners, The Creepshow, Rust Belt Lights) and was nothing short of spectacular, these are some of the highlights in the production of the album. The album artwork was designed by Chris Cresswell of The Flatliners at God Damn Design.
Overall the album is a great representation of Canadian pop-punk influenced by prior bands like early Sum 41, Gob and Treble Charger. With help from a committed label these guys can be sure to pop up on anyone's radar in the coming years, that along with continuous touring across the country.