Album Reviews
With ‘Learning To Live With’, the ever so polite punks of Pardon Us have released album number three. On the follow-up to 2020’s ‘Seamless’, the Liverpool-based trio - Morgan Brown (vocals/guitar), Alex Howard (bass/vocals) and Gabby Santos (drums/vocals) - dish out 14 tracks worth of melodic punk rock with gritty vocals that deal with the challenges of a mid-2020s life.
From the critique of late-stage capitalism in first single ‘Do One’ to the existential dread of ‘The State of Us’ or the reflection on our ever more divided society that is ‘The Great Divide,’ Pardon Us delivers on every single song. While the band’s subject matter is not exactly breezy, their songs are. There were some moments sprinkled throughout the album that reminded me of Leatherface, but that may just be the vocals. Those other UK legends of Snuff are actually closer to the mark.
With ‘Learning To Live With’, Pardon Us have delivered an utterly enjoyable album that packs plenty of highlights, including - but by no means limited to - ‘The State Of Us’ and ‘Inch By Inch’. Do yourself a favor and check it out when you get the chance.
Learning To Live With tracklist:
- Wide-Eyed Optimist
- Do One
- The Great Divide
- A bit of a Character
- The State of Us
- Almost
- Who wrote 'Who wrote Holden Caulfield'?
- High-Rise
- Inch by Inch
- For Charity
- The (Deep) State of Us
- Che in Gold Lamé
- You're Human After All
- We Once Were Here
Lacking the talent to actually play in a band, Tom decided he would write about bands instead. Turns out his writing skills are mediocre at best as well.
