One of the coolest parts of being a reviewer is the fact that I have access to many bands that I would've probably never ended up hearing on my own. Sure, some of them are inevitably shitty, but on the other hand, some of them end up having extended stays in my CD player. The New Breed is one such band; this album surpassed all of my expectations. This wasn't very hard considering I had none, but nonetheless, I'm impressed.

The New Breed plays a mix of straight up punk, rock, and folk, and they do it well. The band adds an interesting wrinkle to their sound by using a mandolin in some of their songs. Now, if used incorrectly this could come off as somewhat pointless or even downright silly, but The New Breed utilizes the instrument perfectly, as it adds to every song in which it appears. When making comparisons, I can see this band being likened to The Swingin' Utters or perhaps a less gimmicky version of the Dropkick Murphys. Songs like "Whiskey" are sure to make just about anyone nod their head, and whether they like it or not, hum the tune for days on end. Each song on here is full of so many hooks that it's hard not to like them. There are plenty of nice riffs to hold your interest, and the vocals are perfectly balanced between gritty and melodic. There are barroom sing-a-longs and fist in the air declarations at every turn, and although it might seem cliché, this band manages to pull it off.

This band has taken a tried and true formula and added their own twist to it, in the process they made what might be one of the most underrated albums of the past year. To put plainly, more people should know about this band.

Born Against MP3