Get a buzz, cock

Since their formation in 1976, British punk band Buzzcocks has been considered one of the most important British punk bands and despite their initial break up in 1981, their subsequent reunions have shown us a degree of consistency in their music and energy that few bands could hope for. The Way is their first record since 2006’s Flat-Pack Philosophy and it is the perfect pick for older punk fans looking for something a bit more mellow, and for anyone looking for punk with a pop edge, but that isn’t pop punk.

The opening track on The Way, “Keep on Believing,” starts listeners off expecting a pretty standard all-grown-up punk album, but it’s not long before the Buzzcocks show us that they are far more than just a punk band anymore. This album features elements of many different rock sub-genres, as seen in the New wave infused “Virtually Real.” A highlight on the record is “Third Dimension,” which features some Josh Homme-esque vocals that actually work perfectly. While The Wayisn’t your standard punk album, or necessarily what you’d expect from the Buzzcocks were you a fan of their earlier work, but in this case that works to their benefit.

Many punk bands are re-forming lately, with mixed results. A large portion of these reunited classic punk bands tend to either play only their old music (which is most often probably the best idea) or releasing music where they desperately try to grasp at the sound that made them famous…and that normally results in something pretty pathetic. By evolving their sound to match the post-rock trends of the past few years, and not trying to pretend they’re 20 year olds playing punk anymore, the Buzzcocks have produced a truly enjoyable album with The Way. It isn’t the greatest album of this year, but it is certainly worth a listen.