Album Reviews
Less Than Jake’s new album Uncharted, from Pure Noise Records, hit stores and streaming on November 15 of 2024, but the sound, in the best way, is all ‘90s. Uncharted comes in at a little less than half an hour, seven tracks between two and four minutes each, all fast paced, horn and guitar-driven fun. Every track on the record feels equal parts Reel Big Fish and Blink-182, which is to say, ain’t much changed about Less Than Jake’s sound. And that’s great; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The record’s a bit one note, the songs mostly sound and feel the same, but so what, I didn’t turn this bad boy on to hear some proggy math rock, I expected big bright horns, catchy power chord riffs, and fun. And that’s what the band delivers: this album knows exactly what it wants to do, and does it perfectly: SKANK.
Sure, it’s not the freshest sound, but was that what you wanted from a Less Than Jake record? Turn the volume way up, get the disco ball spinning, put some checkers on your canvas sneakers with a marker, pull that fedora down on one side, and get to dancing like the simpler times.
Uncharted track listing:
- Broken Words
- Walking Pipebomb
- Not My Problem
- Brand New Day
- Sunny Side
- Dead Days (Over And Over)
- Shake Loose The Truth
Once described as "a gas station philosopher trapped in a pop punk drummer's body," Lee enjoys thinking and writing about music outside of his creative and intellectual grasp!
