The Menzingers – Some Of It Was True | Album Review

The Menzingers have long held a reputation for being a band that’s nigh on impossible to dislike. And whilst the halcyon parties of youth may have long been exiled to memory, Some Of It Was True pays further credence to this fact.

The follow up to The Menzingers’ 2019 LP Hello Exile, Some Of It Was True is the sound of an act now settled with the humdrum of middle age. Not that this is a slight, nor is it an indication of a lack of energy within this record. It’s just that when an artist known for adolescent energy crosses that feared boundary between youth and true midlife, it’s not truly uncommon for them to either lose that youthful spark – or worse yet – fake it with desperate force. Thankfully, this body of work sees Philly’s finest embrace new pastures whilst still retaining the heart, relatable ennui and engaging hooks we all adore. It’s The Menzingers as we collectively love them, but the tattered denim jackets have been replaced with cosy autumnal flannel.

Following from the rowdy one-two punch of openers and leading singles ‘Hope Is A Dangerous Thing’ and ‘There’s No Place In This World For Me’ – tracks that would sit comfortably in the tracklisting of either the aforementioned Hello Exile or the career defining effort that was 2017’s After The Party – ‘Nobody Stays and the titular ‘Some Of It Was True’ bear witness to the band’s steady maturation. Rather than being the product of intoxicated basement shows like the band’s previous works undeniably were, these tracks are very much rooted in American heartland rock. That sense of tormented passivity and inherent folk storytelling are present and effortlessly resonate a sense of grounded maturity, but despite this, the same liberated energy and collective earnestness associated with this band is still evident. These tracks are host to the same collective sing-along moments expected from the band, albeit in a more mature fashion, and with the title track’s central lyrical refrain of “The older I get / the less I know”, ‘Some Of It Was True’ is destined to be a critical hit for all of us in ill-fitting The Gaslight Anthem shirts on SSRIs.

Despite the record embracing of more heartland textures, the band don’t stray far from the formula they have spent decades on. After all, this is The Menzingers; they’re not a band one would expect to upset their fanbase via convoluted genre experimentation. The album feels like the natural evolution of the genes that came to light within Hello Exile. But simultaneously, there are moments one would dub left-field manoeuvres. Following the heart-swelling bona fide anthem of ‘Come On Heartache’, ‘Ultraviolet’ and Take It To Heart’ fully embrace the red, white and blues associated with Bruce Springsteen and American titans of his ilk. The dusty country twang of the downtrodden ‘High Low’ adds further to the band’s flexibility on this record.

But whilst these tracks wouldn’t work in any of the band’s previous albums, they work brilliantly here, standing as testament to The Menzingers’ longevity and flexibility, showcasing the band’s collective steadfast commitment to their core sound and ethos while still exploring new musical fields once alien to them. The DNA of this act has not been corrupted nor altered, but instead naturally enhanced through gradual evolution. As the more familiar sounds of ‘Alone In Dublin’ and ‘I Didn’t Miss You (Until You Were Gone)’ see the band reassume the more punkier stances of their sound, the record overall sees The Menzingers’ sound become more pliable whilst still wholly familiar in all it’s forms.

In all, Some Of It Is True is not just a brilliant record in its own right, but a source of great comfort. With the majority of the band’s fanbase rapidly approaching the yawning divide segregating youth and midlife adulthood, here The Menzingers prove that advancement of the years don’t necessarily mean the final conclusion of creativity and energy. The raves and parties may be long over, but this record shows there’s still plenty of life-affirming moments to come.