Still Not Getting Any...
Those expecting Simple Plan to grow up and put away their skateboards after the band's platinum 2002 debut, No Pads, No Helmets, Just Balls..., will quickly find out otherwise. The Montreal punk-pop quintet kicks off its sophomore disc with the bratty attack "Shut Up," on which they rail, "Nothing you say today is gonna bring me down." Indeed, with this rock-solid set, nothing should bring Simple Plan down. The group succeeds by keeping its approach pretty basic with energetic rockers and sing-along anthems powered by instantly catchy choruses. The first single, "Welcome to My Life," is a TRL-ready tale of adolescent alienation ("Do you lock yourself in your room?/ With the radio on turned up so loud/ That no one hears you screaming") that even grownups could enjoy. On the equally hooky "Crazy," Simple Plan addresses girls struggling with their beauty image: "Diet pills, surgery/ Photoshopped pictures in magazines/ Telling them how they should be/ It doesn't make sense to me." Meanwhile, "Me Against the World" is a rebel rallier with a chorus ripped straight from the 1991 Nirvana grunge classic "Smells Like Teen Spirit." And "Thank You" is a speedy rant that, with guitars loaded, sarcastically takes aim at a backstabbing best friend. Spits lead singer Pierre Bouvier: "Your friendship, the good times we had/ You can have them back."
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Thank You"
