Album Review: Man Overboard - 'The Absolute Worst'

Man Overboard don’t muck around in between releases. After releasing the best pop punk record of 2010 (yeah, I said it) in their debut album “Real Talk”, the band wasted no time in putting out some new material, this time under their new label in Rise Records, but you have nothing to worry about here, the band wont be touring with Attack Attack anytime soon. “The Absolute Worst” marks the first release with the band’s former drummer Justin Collier on guitar, and new drummer Mike Hrycenko picking up where Collier left off with the sticks.

Ignore the record’s title, because these two songs are anything but the absolute worst. The record’s title track kicks in with the band’s familiar sound, and wouldn’t sound out of place on “Real Talk”. The track is a perfect example of everything I have grown to love about this band, and is definitely up a top contender to be one of the catchiest tracks the band has penned to date. The lyrics by the band’s two singers Nik Bruzzese and Zac Eisenstein are some of the angriest they have written, and even though some may dismiss it as being cheesy, they are very relatable, which is something the band has always been good at. The production on the vocals sounds better than on previous releases, something that the band is always stepping up.

The record marks the third time you will hear “I Saw Behemoth And It Ruled”, as it originally appeared on the band’s acoustic EP “Noise From Upstairs”, and then as a full band version as a bonus track on the vinyl version of “Real Talk”. The re-recording sounds much cleaner than the full band version that they previously released. Although the track isn’t one of the band’s strongest, it is cool to hear the difference between the full band version and the original acoustic version.

It would’ve been great to hear a few more tracks on this record, but it’s sure to hold fans over until the band releases another new album later in the year, and is further proof that Man Overboard are one of the best bands in the genre at the moment. The record is worth picking up just for the title track, and is a worthy addition to the band’s ever-growing discography. Let’s hope 2011 is the year that the band finally makes it over here.

1. The Absolute Worst

2. I Saw Behemoth And It Ruled