Along for the Ride

California punk outfit The Bronx has released their fourth studio album, IV, and while it’s not the heaviest of punk records, it has something for everyone and is a great showcase of the talent of every member of the band. This album runs the gamut of genres, even outside of what you’d expect, and overall sounds like a pop-punk band that stopped living in their mom’s basement and learned how to play their instruments. Their sound is heavy and aggressive enough to appeal to punk fans, but light enough to be marketable to a wider mainstream audience; something you’d hear on the radio, but wouldn’t be ashamed to play in front of your friends.

IV starts out with a bang, with the energetic and rather heavy “The Unholy Hand,” and while the sound changes throughout the album, this opening track definitely helps prepare the listener for the onslaught of wailing guitar and aggressively passionate vocals to come. On the opposite end of things, songs like “Torches” have a sound that comes close to bands like mewithoutyou, which makes this record great for fans of calmer, more emotional punk. The band also packs in catchy melodies and grooves like in the track “Too Many Devils,” and “Ribcage” draws directly from old-school street punk. There is a style for every type of hard rock fan, which is something that is rare to find in a band these days.

2013, so far, has borne an exciting and downright inspiring trend of awesome and innovative punk, and with this new album, The Bronx is no exception. They have released the type of record that so many bands are trying to do, one that appeals to such a wide range of listeners that you could hear it on a mainstream radio station and in an underground record store. IV is an album to pick up for any fans of hard rock who are looking for a record that they can play for some of their more toned down friends, as well as those who want something to scream along with.