Pensylvainia punks The Menzingers return with sixth album Hello Exile, proving once and for all why they’re one of the most important bands of our generation.
Hello Exile is the Menzingers' most thematically heavy and emotionally weightiest album, as well as their boldest and most self-assured.
With their sixth studio album they bolster an already impressive catalogue with intricate explorations of the self in an ever-shifting world, accepting the inevitability of change and offering the solace of a shared community to an always-growing fan base.
Hello Exile is full of idealized versions of Menzingers songs, a little slower than usual but still containing all the sonic and lyrical hallmarks that we've come to expect.
Hello Exile takes inventory of life, friendships, relationships, and how much can change in what feels like the blink of an eye.
Their musical progressions are incremental and headed towards predictable outcomes. The slower songs are a little bit more country, the more uptempo ones a bit more rootsy, and all of it is bolstered by typically brawny Will Yip production that cuts through the chatter of any barroom or basement.
On that previous album, The Menzingers established themselves as a group interested in moving forward—even if they wrote about those high school days. Hello Exile fails to follow through on that promise.
Although the sound of this album follows the general path of The Menzingers last handful of albums, the energy of these tracks seems to have lacked from where the group has been the last few years. It may be just due to my lack of familiarity with the songs compared to their previous albums, but they just don't seem to stick with you in the same way that their albums have more consistently. I've given this album a couple tries and it just hasnt felt like the majority of the record really stays ... read more
This is a pretty rock solid rock record. The songs have a nice bounce to them, fitting snugly into something that sounds like Springsteen went pop punk. There's an infectious energy and the record on a whole is a pretty easy sit through. The main critique I have is that it really doesn't do anything new or anything better than a dozen bands that have come before. It's far from bad, just don't go in here expecting a sea change. It's an easy enough recommendation for people who want to hear some ... read more
Very welcoming and wholesome album. Explores some folk punk tropes like drinking too much, people leaving your home town, returning to your old town... but it's still really fresh take. Vocals get buried in the mix and become intelligible at times, but no biggie. Still a solid album.
1 | America (You're Freaking Me Out) 3:35 | 66 |
2 | Anna 3:29 | 56 |
3 | High School Friend 4:26 | 45 |
4 | Last To Know 3:53 | 47 |
5 | Strangers Forever 3:01 | 78 |
6 | Hello Exile 4:26 | 50 |
7 | Portland 2:44 | 63 |
8 | Strain Your Memory 4:04 | 71 |
9 | I Can't Stop Drinking 5:10 | 57 |
10 | Strawberry Mansion 3:04 | 77 |
11 | London Drugs 3:18 | 72 |
12 | Farewell Youth 4:37 | 49 |
#11 | / | Kerrang! |
#21 | / | Chorus.fm |
#44 | / | The Alternative |
/ | Alternative Press |