Album Reviews

One can never be sure what to expect next from The Matches but with “A Band In Hope” they have once again changed up their style. This time around they’ve traded in their poppunk anthems for hyperkinetic yet at the same time mellow indierock. Sounds like an oxymoron but then again, so does the album title, doesn’t it? Anyway, the songs still sound like they’re being pulled in ten different directions with dozens of ideas pouring from the seams and the cheese factor at an all time high but for the first time I can actually stand listening to these guys. Sure, it’s bombastic and artsy but they’ve got some great hooks and the band ends up sounding like the inbred spawn of Hot Hot Heat and My Chemical Romance. And you know we at PunkRockTheory.com always sympathize with disabled people which is why we’re giving this album a thumb and a half up.