One of the guiding principles of punk rock has always been "Do It Yourself," but that doesn't mean "Do It All By Yourself," which is one of the reasons why 2020's
New Arrows, the second album from North Carolina's pogo merchants
Personality Cult, is a decided improvement over their self-titled 2018 debut. On the first album,
Personality Cult was in the truest sense a solo project for frontman Ben Carr, who not only sang, played guitar, and wrote the songs but handled most of the accompaniment. The LP was tuneful and energetic with just enough sharp edges in the guitar work to keep it from sounding safe, but after Personality Cult started attracting some attention, Carr put together a band that could tour in support, and 2020's
New Arrows has a muscle, spark, and drive that make it a more satisfying effort than the one-man-band edition of the group. Like the first album,
New Arrows leaves no question that Carr worships at the altar of the
Buzzcocks; his breathless chainsaw guitar patterns and streamlined yet hook-laden melodies are cut from that band's cloth, but Carr's focus and intensity is his own, and his songwriting chops are on point (as a declaration of love, "I'm a bit of an addict, and you're the pill under my tongue" has most of the competition beat). Guitarist Stephen Svacina, bassist Johnny Valiant, and drummer Colin Sneed give the performances a taut kick that fills out the tunes brilliantly, and Carr's performances build on their strong foundation, while Jeff Burke's production puts their buzzy fury on tape with no-frills clarity. Ben Carr already had a fine resumé with his work with Last Year's Men and Natural Causes, but
New Arrows takes
Personality Cult to the next level, and it's plenty of strong, revved-up fun. ~ Mark Deming