Album Review: Personality Cult – New Arrows

Out on 14th Feb.  Lets get all the introductions out of the way first, Personality Cult are primarily led by Ben Carr from North Carolina but seem to boast a line up that evolved into a Punk super group of sorts, with members of Paint Fumes, Last Year’s Men, Natural Causes, Bass Drum Of Death, Missing Pages, Mind Spiders, Sweet Talk, Sweet Knives to name but a few, you get the picture here.

Although from the very outset of this album your hit with the sense that what your getting is fast paced punk with hooks and melodies that are the back bone of so many other bands in this genre, what catches your ear here is the sense that there is so much more to this sound than at first listen.

“Nothing To Do With It” being the introduction to the album has a job to do in setting the tone and giving the listener a feel for what to expect, with a wonderful Bass led melody which in it own way is very refreshing and not used as often as it should be.

With songs played with all the passion of 1977 punk but with a sound that is a million miles ahead even in modern terms.  Take tracks like “Weigh Down” and “Telephone”  pure unadulterated Rock n Roll, sharp snappy and full of amazingly catchy melodies, yet on the edge too. 

What makes this new album so special in the bands  history is the fact that it’s taken all they know and created a future sound, take songs like “Pressure Point” (the first single release from the album) and “Sharp Edges” 100% new, 110% filled with mature possibly even dark moody undertones, yet still propelled along like there is no time to waste.  An album filled with its very own larger than life sound, very exciting to know that punk can always evolve and this piece of individualist music proves that, no comparisons can really be drawn, except with a nod to all that came before.

This review could go on and be filled with so many interesting points, but in truth, its taking a leaf from Personality Cults ethos in this album, straight to the point, short and concise.  As Mr Strummer himself uttered once “The Future Is Unwritten” well this album does seem to write the future of this band.

To Purchase this album go HERE

For the Bands Facebook try HERE