Simple Plan – Simple Plan

Simple Plan releases their third studio album. The rather boringly titled album is anything but dull I can assure you, although a little more sedated than previous releases, the boys still pound away with raging energy.

These five Canadian boys emerged with their first studio album in 2002, riding high on the crest of the pop-punk wave first started by legends Green Day and Offspring, reinvented by the notorious Blink 182 and fuelled by the like. Their first two studio albums hit platinum and double platinum with singles “I’m Just a Kid”,  “Perfect” and “Welcome to My Life” rocking commercial airwaves and parading on the charts – firmly establishing themselves on the pop punk scene.

But I am not quite sure if this album is a hardcore pop punk statement or an crossover experiment. On the first six tracks the Montreal quintet mixes electronic elements with their classic pop-punk sound. “When I’m Gone”, “Your Love is a Lie” and “The End” sound experimental, including drum loops, keyboards bleeps, intros that sound a bit R&Bish, and the somewhat random horn section at the beginning of “Generation”.

But then you hit track seven and it starts to sound more like a statement. “Time To Say Goodbye” busts on the scene with ripping guitars, fearless vocals and pounding drums, which is tightly followed by “I Can Wait Forever” a chilled power ballad, the way only pop-punkers can.

So, maybe it is a bit of both, but at the core this is still Simple Plan.