The Norwegian indie rock outfit's fifth studio long-player,
So Far So Good So Cool, sees
Death by Unga Bunga delivering a taut, 11-track set of snappy power pop confections that flirt with punk and classic rock without feeling beholden to either. Pairing the cheekiness of the
Vaccines with the arena-filling hooks of
Cheap Trick, the band, whose name was derived from an album by California garage rock revivalists the Mummies, are clearly having it both ways -- the overall sonic vibe kind of sounds like
the Ramones if they were produced by Mutt Lange. Generously stocked with melody rich gems like "Soldier" and "Cynical," the former a meaty slab of vintage punk-pop with a terrific earworm chorus, and the latter a midtempo retro-rocker festooned with copious amounts of guitarmonies and shimmery synths,
So Far So Good So Cool is highly palatable and often predictable, but it still manages to scratch that power pop itch via the occasional architectural detour or clever turn of phrase. [
So Far So Good So Cool was also released on LP.] ~ James Christopher Monger