Greg Barnett (guitarist and vocalist for The Menzingers) said it himself. It’s quoted on their bio page on Epitaph Records. “We’re turning 30 now, and there’s this idea that that’s when real life comes on. In a way this album is us saying, ‘We don’t have to grow up or get boring—we can keep on having a good time doing what we love.’” And that’s the philosophy behind the band’s fifth upcoming album After the Party to be released in February. Age has nothing to do with it. And so The Menzingers carry on with the punk life, as they suitably should.
The band’s second and third album is what really got The Menzingers on the grid. The song “Gates” off of On The Impossible Past and the song “I Don’t Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore” off of Rented World are prime examples of the band’s sound—solid and energetic, catchy in spots but still evoking a sense of angst, of true “not giving a s*hit” DIY punk-rock attitude. And it’s a sound that hasn’t changed–as heard in their latest single “Bad Catholics.”
They’ve come a long way since Pennsylvania, having toured with the likes of Against Me! and The Gaslight Anthem, and now they’re headlining and selling out shows all on their own (including Knitting Factory in Williamsburg), so don’t miss out on buying tickets at Irving Plaza. So go buy them. Like right now.
Irving Plaza
3/30
7 p.m.
$22
Playing With: Jeff Rosenstock, Rozwell Kid
Livenation.com
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