#spbed

It’s too poppy, too autotuned, too (god help me) mainstream. It sounds like any other pop song on the radio. Is that a bad thing? Short answer: No. 

For fans, it’s disappointing though. What happened to our lovable band who got us through our angst? Simply put: They grew up. Or, perhaps more accurately, they got older. 

Let’s face it, part of their appeal was that they were good looking 20 somethings in a punk rock band. As stated, I adore them, but they’re probably not the best band in my library. Many girls (and guys!) I knew fancied Pierre, the lead singer. Myself, I liked the bassist. We hung up their posters and drooled over them like your average teenage girls. 

Now, the guys are closer to forty. They’re married with kids and their fans know that. More importantly, so do their producers/labels/bigshots who control their careers. They can’t use the boyish charm to sell records anymore. So what can they do?

They can put out a single that sounds like what the top 40 crowd would love. Boom! (pun not intended) Single sells, record sells, tours happen, everyone’s happy. 

Do I agree with this? No, but if it lets SP continue to make music, then I can live with it. Are they selling out? Perhaps, but perhaps they have to. We don’t know the behind-the-scenes politics. Maybe they can’t just release an album on their own due to contracts and whatnot.

I can understand this all from a business point of view, but as I mentioned, it is disappointing for fans. However, the new record isn’t out yet, and some of the other songs released have been very Simple Plan.