Less Than Jake celebrate 25 years together with ‘Sound The Alarm’, a seven-song EP that provides a whistle-stop tour of their sound, without adding much to their extensive back-catalogue.
‘Call To Arms’ opens with a dirty bass riff, in a similar vein to their classic ‘Last One Out Of Liberty City’ but leads into the more straightforward, sunshine-baked punk of their last few records. It kicks the EP off nicely with some classic Less Than Jake hooks, including Chris’ “woah-ohs” and horns backing an anthemic chorus, but it lacks some of the surprise or punch of previous album-openers.
‘Whatever The Weather’ completely changes tack and heads down the reggae route. Roger’s bass is fuzzy and takes up a big portion of the soundscape. The guitar is scattier and the horns are given freedom to play around the song. It skanks along well but the chorus is disappointingly restrained and the breakdown loses itself by trying too many dynamics.
The punk sound is pulled back out with ‘Bomb Drop’. It kicks straight into high gear and the singers take turns on the mic well. The chorus is a reminder that Roger’s voice is ageing well and he’s still capable of hitting those high notes. However, again, the breakdown sends the song off track and outstays its welcome. At three minutes, it actually feels too long and unnecessarily padded.
It’s a recurring theme that a slow tune is followed by a faster one but, at the midway point of the EP, they start to drag. ‘Welcome To My Life’ repeats the reggae/dub sound but plods rather than skanks. ‘Good Sign’ is reminiscent of the latter half of 2000’s ‘Borders and Boundaries’ and blasts powerfully positive vibes, but isn’t able to hold a candle to what it emulates.
‘Years Of Living Dangerously’ is the most experimental song of the bunch. The slower pace returns but Chris throws a great guitar riff over it that highlights their love of classic metal. Again, it’s a touch too long but it’s a cohesive song that signals there’s still room for them to tread new paths.
The EP closes out with ‘Things Change’ which is a bit all over the place. A discordant crescendo of horns and guitar opens proceedings but it sounds uncomfortable. It gives way to a pacy verse by Chris, backed by fuzzy bass, which creates a darker tone. Yet, the chorus is a down-tempo anthem by Roger pulling out all the high notes and it’s much greater than the verse. There’s two songs fighting for dominance here but, thankfully, the better one wins out at the end.
‘Sound The Alarm’ is an EP that juxtaposes two sides of the same Less Than Jake coin. One is faster and punkier while the other takes its time to find a ska groove. The problem is, the coin keeps flipping and struggles to decide which way to land. None of the songs are bad but they have just been done much better on their other releases. There’s promise that their new home at Pure Noise Records, alongside Gnarwolves and Boston Manor, will inject some freshness into the Less Than Jake sound, but it’s not quite there yet.
ASHLEY PARTRIDGE