Album Review: The Bombpops - Death In Venice Beach

Years ago, Morrissey sang, "to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die". That was in the song "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out", which was a sunny sounding pop gem that just so happened to be an utterly miserable song in disguise. It also happened to come about before the world knew what an insufferable clod Morrissey turned out to be, but that's beside the point. Music often dresses up sadness, pain, and depression in songs that sound as happy as all get-out. It's one of my favorite tricks, not just because the sound is so appealing, but sneaking something meaningful into the listener's ears when they don't realize it is one of the pleasures of being an artist.

With this new album, that's what The Bombpops are doing. This record is a bright, catchy batch of punk and pop thrown together, but it's also an album that deals with alcoholism, and a host of other darker issues. So what you see isn't what you get.

The band throws us into the deep end, with "Dearly Departed" diving into issues of mortality, listing off famous couples that met untimely ends, and declaring "unhappily ever after". Thankfully, they aren't referring to the horrible WB sitcom that ripped off "Married With Children", only with a talking puppet. "Double Arrows Down" talks of being passed out on a gas station floor with a needle in your arm, but it's done with such a cheery attitude that you almost forget that they're painting with their own blood. The combination of Jen Razavi and Poli Van Dam toss off bouncy pop hooks like they're nothing, giving us songs catchier than nearly anything pop-punk has done in many years, but without sounding like they're trying.

Is it in poor taste to compare a relationship to the fire that ravaged Notre Dame? It could certainly be considered to be, but it's also a very punk thing to do, so it reinforces their credentials whether you like the metaphor or not. It was a gutsy call to make that song the lead single for the album, but it worked, since it was hearing it that made me think I needed to hear this album. If the prior songs were already catchy, "Notre Dame" is infectious. I won't try to be so punk as to compare it to the current viral scare.

There's an effortless charm to The Bombpops, which in part comes from Jen and Poli not being your typical punk singers. Their voices aren't trying to sound edge, or angry, or anything other than what they are. Their delivery is, and I don't want this to be taken the wrong way, prettier than might be expected of punk. Frankly, making the music more accessible to a wider range of listeners and emotions is a big selling point. When "13 Stories Down" talks about not being an alcoholic, but playing one on the weekend, being able to hear the words from a voice that is more stereotypically sober sounding gives the song a completely different feeling than if it was a more debauched delivery.

So is "Death In Venice Beach" a pleasure, a privilege? It's half an hour of a sugar rush with a kick that stays in the back of your throat. These songs are fun, sly, and really good.