Regardless of how you look at it, there’s no denying things have become a little bit more extreme as of late. Be it the style of popular music consumption or political rhetoric (see hardcore bands playing arenas and the bleak prediction polls regarding today’s local elections), everything has felt very intense, uncertain and darkly dubious recently. Thankfully for those in dire need of something stable and reliable, Canadian punk rockers The Flatliners are back with a new record that’s a throwback to those long-missed days when everything felt safe and certain.
The seventh LP from the Oratorio punks, the aptly titled Cold World is one of those increasingly rare records that’s more or less exactly what you expect it to be. There are no surprises here, no left-field creative decisions, no shoehorned genre gimmickry; just an expected continuation of the band’s throaty, aged-denim-jacket-scented sound. Which, to confirm, is both something that feels directly intentional and something we mean in the most complimentary way possible. Here, The Flatliners offer a collection of feel-good shout-alongs that feel blissfully detached from the fire and turmoil of modern living. At least on a surface level, anyway.
With the band musically and thematically belonging to the North American punk rock scene synonymous with the likes of Against Me!, The Menzingers, Iron Chic and all their fellow disjointed peers, this is still very much a record that’s a product of its environment. However, this isn’t an album that furiously implores one to set the world alight or one full of preachings of the rights and wrongs of today’s political hellscape. Instead, rather than pointing a finger at the melee that is political discourse and demanding one join the fray with teeth gritted and fists balled, the rugged harmonies and riffs that form this record take one’s hands in friendship whilst mocking some of the evils of our current time. It’s impossible not to be lifted by the massive chorus of ‘Good, You?’, a song that derides toxic masculinity, or feel included within the harmonies of ’Pulpit’ as it joyously laments morality and human connection.
But regardless of all of this, what makes this record just so enjoyable is the sense of stability it resonates. Even after 20 years in the game, Cold World is the sound of a band that feels invigorated, energised and spirited. It’s very much a record that feels like the product of the closest of friends, and given the energy and chemistry within the belting singalongs of ‘And They’re Off’ and ‘United In Spite’ – two songs that will no doubt remain setlist staples long after the record tour promotion has concluded – it’s easy to understand how The Flatliners have weathered decades without a single lineup change. Yes, Cold World may not alter The Flatliners’ sound, change the world, or shift anyone’s opinion of this band, but it doesn’t aim to. Instead, this great record reaffirms that some stability and joy remain in this uncertain world, and in that it fully succeeds.