The announcement of this fourth Japandroids LP was mixed news for their followers. That would be their last. Years of radio silence led many to conclude that the Canadian duo had already quietly met their end. Instead, seven years after the ambitious “Close to the Wild Heart of Life” divided opinion, they returned with a parting shot. The title suggests a return to the drunken, fist-in-the-sky garage rock that made them famous with “Post-Nothing” and “Celebration Rock,” and a return to “The It also includes anthems like “Knights of.” “Wine and Roses” and “The House That Heaven Built” were performed as odes to hedonism and revelry. But instead, singer and guitarist Brian King appears more introspective. The old vibrancy remains, but tempered by a new self-awareness, as if the band knew this chapter in their lives was coming to an end. “Chicago” rumbles with nostalgia, “D&T” balances breezy melody with self-deprecating lyricism, and “Fugitive Summer” simmers with restraint, at least until its explosive coda. There is. “A Gaslight Anthem” laments a broken friendship, “Positively 34th Street” captures the record’s central conflict better than any other track, and “Near to the Wild Heart of Life”‘s storytelling and Balances the exhilaration of classic songs. . There will be no touring in support of Fate and Alcohol, so it’s a farewell to the album and especially its stormy closer, All Bets Are Off. By wrestling with their light-hearted early connotations on this final release, Japandroid ensured that they would be remembered not only as party starters, but also as thoughtful songwriters.
