No Fun At All – Out Of Bounds – Review

No Fun At All

Out Of Bounds (Burning Heart)
by Valerie Lambert

No Fun At All must be pretty modest judging by their name. Don’t let them fool you, this is a fun album. Not silly fun, as the lyrics tend to be rather political. I’m talking fun in a “Wow – I’ve discovered an amazingly good new band!” kind of way. Can life get any better than that?

Personally, I’ve been getting fed up with the generic new breed of punk bands whose generic albums are starting to litter record stores everywhere. So of course I’m a little skeptical when a new album falls into my hands.

Let me just say, though, that when the opening track of Out of Bounds started to play, I was momentarily stunned by what I heard. No Fun At All are from Sweden, and they play damn good, tight, fast melodic punk rock. They remind me a little of Pennywise with better melodies, or maybe a slightly poppier Bad Religion. Musically, I can’t find much fault with Out Of Bounds. The songs are filled with catchy hooks and lots of breaks, and the vocals are very slick with nice harmonies. To further the amazement, the songs don’t all sound alike, either. Can you ask for any more?

One of the best songs is the tough-sounding “Beat ‘Em Down” which has a hardcore sound with a catchy chorus. Though the song doesn’t break any new ground, it’s got an energy level and conviction that have been missing from a lot of music lately. The same could be said for virtually any song on the album, which makes it well worth listening to.

No Fun At All gives a good swift kick in the ass to the punk scene of the mid-’90s. It’s not too often that something like this happens, either. Thanks guys.