Rockfreaks.net

Pour Habit

Got Your Back

Written by: PP on 01/05/2011 04:23:20

Despite the colossal success of The Offspring throughout the 90s and early 2000s, it's surprisingly difficult to find bands that sound at least a little bit like Dexter Holland and co. Perhaps it's their image as a gateway drug between the mainstream and the lesser known in punk rock, perhaps their simplistic songs, but I reckon it's because few singers in punk own a voice as unique as that by Mr. Holland. But here's one: Pour Habit. They're a Californian punk rock outfit whose vocalist is, if not a dead ringer for Holland, at least the closest match I've come across in my excursions through the world of punk rock.

What's not surprising, then, is that the unit is a member of the Fat Wreck family, where most bands can't really be lumped into any particular subgenre and are rather just referred to as 'punk rock'. Their style on the sophomore album "Got Your Back" is slightly more aggressive and technically advanced than The Offspring's older material, but it is fast and fairly catchy, drawing comparisons to an angrier Lagwagon or a less political Propagandhi. NOFX is another obvious candidate for a parallel (their snotty mid 90s stuff like "Punk In Drublic", that is), as is older No Use For A Name before they cleaned up their sound.

Songs like "Heads Of State" or "Head In The Clouds (Danny's Song)" indeed sound like strange hybrids between old The Offspring and all the bands mentioned above, but not all songs are about high tempo skate punk. "Party", for instance, sneaks its way into the mix sounding like a Sublime track, a refreshing breather from all the fast paced punk rock action going on. But really, the vast majority of the time Pour Habit sound like a retrospective best-of Fat Wreck compilation, referencing a great amount of fantastic bands from the mid to late 90s. That's not necessarily a bad thing, considering the high standard of songwriting present in most songs, but it does mean that Pour Habit will always have difficulty in writing an amazing album instead of merely a good one.

Download: Heads Of State, Head In The Clouds (Danny's Song), Party, Teens Turned To Fiends
For the fans of: old The Offspring, Lagwagon, Hit The Switch, NOFX
Listen: Myspace

Release date 12.04.2011
Fat Wreck Chords