Review: The Wonder Years – Suburbia: I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing

 The Wonder Years – Suburbia: I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing – The Wonder Years continue to be one of the most hyped and lauded bands in the pop-punk scene of today, and I continue to be mostly unimpressed. The Philadelphia band’s latest is delivered with the lofty titling – The Wonder Year present: Suburbia I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing. They’re clearly aspiring for something more than the average pop-punk album, and the band is smart enough to pull it off lyrically, but the music still fails to wow.

The album’s title and music are inspired by Allen Ginsberg’s poem “America,” and the lyrics of the entire album tell the tale of a struggle of a generation, or at least a segment of a generation, trying to find its place in the world while remaining true to itself. Lyrically, Suburbia is a fascinating journey, and the words are where the intelligence of the band shines.

But as lofty as the lyrics and the concept of the album may be, Suburbia still settles in for rather straightforward anthemic pop-punk tunes mostly concerned with being catchy as all hell. The production by Steve Evetts at Omen Room Studios is fantastic, and everything the band does is technically sound. But it’s hard to be catchy when there isn’t much memorable about the music, and The Wonder Years falter by creating an album that, aside from the lyrics, seems like pop-punk by the numbers, without anything truly fresh to grab hold.

No doubt, longtime fans of The Wonder Years will like what’s on offer with Suburbia. It is the band and sound they have come to know and love, with a higher concept that the band executes fantastically. But for those who have been sitting on the fence with the The Wonder Years up until now, the deeper meaning will be lost, because The Wonder Years don’t do much to mix up the formula musically.

The record comes pressed on grey or baby blue vinyl, and the gatefold packaging comes uncoated, aiding the bleak look of the scene on the front of it. The record also comes with a 22-inch-by-22-inch poster insert, with the song lyrics featured on the backside. It all plays very well into the theme of the new album, but again, it’s nothing out of the ordinary.

Review by: Bill Jones

Sound/Press Quality: 3/5
The Album: 3/5
Artwork & Packaging: 3/5