IN REVIEW: The Interrupters - "In the Wild"

 

If it's not the mid-to-late nineties, it's difficult for a ska/punk band to break through to mainstream success; and yet, that's what The Interrupters did in 2018. She's Kerosene and, to nearly the same extent, follow-up single Gave You Everything, propelled the three Bivona brothers and Aimee Interrupter from the niche scene they inhabited to international recognition. Of course, just as their star was rising the world came to a standstill, so it took a little longer than expected to figure out how they would go about the business of releasing an album with newfound expectations attached.

As it turns out, The Interrupters' approach after four years away is to simply provide more of what brought them here in the first place; throughout their three previous albums, their sound was planted firmly in the Rancid wheelhouse (to no one's surprise, really; they're signed to Tim Armstrong's label, and he's had heavy involvement in all of their records, producing two and appearing as a guest on all four and counting), and In the Wild more or less continues the tradition, except this time production is handled by guitarist Kevin Bivona.

Any reactions to their newfound fame are subtle; In the Wild has more guest appearances than previous releases, and the songs are just a little more stretched out (at 43 minutes, it's their longest album yet). Otherwise, if you've been endeared to the energetic, groove-laden rhythms of their discography up to this point, In the Wild is pretty much exactly what you expected with somewhat sharper hooks and a couple of notable exceptions.

The lead-up singles all more or less did the job of encapsulating the overall sound of the record; the attempt at recapturing a little of the same lightning in the same bottle are here with In the Mirror, their punk card is renewed with Anything Was Better, their beach-bound ska represented by As We Live, and their rock muscle flexed with current single Raised By Wolves. These singles are all stacked up at the beginning of the record, leaving the remainder an empty canvas to explore within and, in some cases, just a bit outside of these styles. Kiss the Ground gives off heavy dub/reggae vibes through its sexier, slower tempo, Jailbird picks up the speed and introduces a little new wave into its punk, and The Hard Way closes the first half with more peppy ska.

The B-side would be where one expects a few more chances taken, and My Heart incorporates classic doo-wop elements and creates a moment that does truly feel different and exciting for the group. From here, though, it's mostly more of what we already heard; Let 'em Go and Burdens go ska, Worst for Me and Afterthought go punk, and Love Never Dies leans more heavily toward dub. The outlier is closer Alien, a heartbroken ballad which recalls Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, of all things; it's emotional and ends the album on a stark and unexpectedly dark note, although I'm not sure it fits this traditionally high energy group very well.

Overall, there aren't really any egregious missteps here, and it's a consistently enjoyable album; if you're a fan of Rancid and/or The Interrupters' previous work, In the Wild will wrap around you like a nice, warm security blanket. There are limited attempts at experimentation that arrive with mixed results and, though it's certainly not a requirement to explore your sonic boundaries, I would have preferred a little more risk taking. That said, if the goal was to not fix what wasn't broken, In the Wild is mission most assuredly accomplished.

August 5, 2022 • Hellcat

Highlights Raised By Wolves • In the Mirror • My Heart