Hoobastank – The Reason

The Reason To Not Buy This Album

If the post-2000 rock generation had a family, the little brother might as well be Hoobastank. Like any little brother, they’re young and energetic, while trying very hard to live up to the standards set forth by their older siblings (ie: Incubus). That being said, this Southern California quartet came out swinging on their self-titled debut, churning out radio friendly hits appealing to the disenchanted teenaged youth across the country. Nonetheless, the bands obvious similarities to Incubus have forced many to view them as merely a cheap knockoff, striking while the iron is hot, if you will. But with The Reason, Hoobastank fall victim to the “sophomore slump,” something that quickly consumes and digests many rock groups.Newly graduated from the school of radio friendly rock, Hoobastank’s muscle flexed most in their catchy, sing-a-long choruses. But more so, the group does exemplify a fresh sort of energy in each of their songs, redundant as they may be. However, whatever strengths they possessed from their first are all watered down and diluted on The Reason. Despite the sleekly polished production that glazes each song, The Reason is still littered with Hoobastank’s extremely generic and uninspiring lyrical content. Led by a cluttered and messy single in “Out of Control,” the whole “nobody understands me/stop telling me what too do with my life” content may work on a first album, but it’s time to move on. Unfortunately, it’s pretty obvious that Hoobastank’s staying power is growing remarkably shorter, undoubtedly leaving them another statistic to the sophomore slump.