If you look at where the Matches came from, to where they are today, you feel that the band might be a wee bit underappreciated. There’s no doubt this band have had a -Do-It-Yourself attitude since their conception as ‘The Locals’ back in 1997, where they would play acoustic sets outside venues when other (much larger) acts have finished to expose themselves to as many people as possible. On top of this, they practically revived the Bay-Area scene with their ‘Loud Live and Local’ night which attracted the likes of Sugarcult as headliners, and provided much-needed exposure for up and coming punk bands.
Despite their hard-work ethic, ‘Decomposer’ is only their second album under the Matches moniker. However, it’s a record that displays exactly how hard work and perspiration pays off. The production credits read as a who’s who of the industry (see Mark Hoppus, Tim Armstrong and of course John Feldmann), and as a result we’re left with thirteen unique tracks that are very, very good. ‘Salty eyes‘ kicks off on a sombre note. It’s a purely acoustic track that makes fabulous use of a soft synth and lo-fi drum kit, and there’s a brilliant violin part playing throughout that already makes you think this band are on to a winning sound. ‘Drive’ brings the band back into their comfort zone of dance-based pop-punk and makes bands such as Men, Women & Children and Head Automatica sound like they never knew how to party in the first place. Despite being the weakest song lyrically on ‘Decomposer’, it’s a toe-tapping extravaganza which you cannot resist but get up and dance to.
The opening riff to ‘Papercut Skins’ will make you wet yourself with laughter when you realise just what song it’s clearly influenced by. Owing more than just the odd crochet to ‘My Sharona’, it’s an 80’s throwback track with bags of the feel-good factor. While there are weaker tracks here in the form of ‘Little Maggots’ and ‘Clumsy Heart’, others such as ‘Didi (my Doe, Pt 2)’ and ‘You don’t know’ more than make up for the odd sub-par one. Whether it’s the absolutely *genius* use of synthesised hand claps in the former, or the unconventional use of singer Shawn Harris’ voice box in the latter, you cannot listen to tracks like this and end up in a bad mood afterwards.
In a time when bands are starting to lose their individuality, and the music they produce can sometimes feel soul-less, ‘Decomposer’ is a tornado of fresh air. The Matches have created their own individual sound and used it formulate an album of killer tracks. If you want to hear something funky, instantly recognisable and with more than just a pinch of 80s nostalgia, then ‘Decomposer’ is here to make your day.
Andy R