Artist: The Frights | Album: Hypochondriac | Released: 2018 | Genre: Alternative Rock

San Diego punk combo the Frights make their Epitaph debut with Hypochondriac, a generally more personal set that still manages to retain the wily personality of their earlier releases. For a band that began as somewhat of a joke and who named their previous album You Are Going to Hate This, this follow-up offers a little bit of necessary growth without abandoning the fun factor and absurdist tendencies that have become their hallmark. Case in point is opening cut “Tell Me Why I’m Okay,” a wonky pastiche of acoustic slackery, tape-recorded conversation, and lo-fi manipulation with a surprisingly catchy tune at its core. The pop hooks abound throughout Hypochondriac’s 11 tracks, even as frontman Mikey Carnevale takes a more confessional tone on highlights like “Broken Brain” and “Over It,” striking a balance between grungy melodic fuzz-pop and the warts-and-all emotive spirit of pop-punk. Self-referential, a little sweet, and still sarcastic, they even manage a jovial lyrical dig at punk peers FIDLAR — whose singer, Zac Carper, reprises his role as producer here — on the laid-back slack-pop jam “Whatever.” With Hypochondriac, the Frights remain a fun and engaging band, evolving in the right places and flashing plenty of craft and vitality.

Tracklisting:

01. The Frights – Tell Me Why I’m Okay (03:17)
02. The Frights – CRUTCH (02:44)
03. The Frights – Broken Brain (03:13)
04. The Frights – Whatever (03:42)
05. The Frights – Over It (03:12)
06. The Frights – Me and We and I (04:50)
07. The Frights – Goodbyes (03:14)
08. The Frights – Pills (02:49)
09. The Frights – No Place Like (Not Being) Home (04:00)
10. The Frights – Hold Me Down (04:15)
11. The Frights – Alone (03:34)

Single download
The Frights – The Frights – Tell Me Why I’m Okay 03:17
The Frights – The Frights – CRUTCH 02:44
The Frights – The Frights – Broken Brain 03:13
The Frights – The Frights – Whatever 03:42
The Frights – The Frights – Over It 03:12
The Frights – The Frights – Me and We and I 04:50
The Frights – The Frights – Goodbyes 03:14
The Frights – The Frights – Pills 02:49
The Frights – The Frights – No Place Like Not Being
The Frights – The Frights – Hold Me Down 04:15
The Frights – The Frights – Alone 03:34

Category:Alternative rock
Main catalog

Recommended:

65daysofstatic – One Time For All Time (2005) FLAC (tracks)

Breaking Benjamin – Phobia (2006) FLAC (tracks + .cue)

Ashes Remain – What I’ve Become (2011) FLAC (tracks+.cue)