Album Reviews
Nineteen years after their last full-length, Massachusetts punk veterans Piebald are back with Tales for the Rages, an energetic return that proves they haven’t lost an ounce of their signature wit, heart, or hook-writing prowess. Recorded over the course of six years, this is the sound of a revitalized band rather than a nostalgic retread.
Tales for the Rages hits the ground running with lead single and opener “Still On The Couch,” a short contemplation on complacency that clocks in under two minutes. That momentum carries straight into “This Thing Is Old,” a track that tackles the reality of getting older with an emphatic guitar solo, a punchy chorus, and Travis Shettel’s unmistakable vocals.
Lyrically, Piebald takes jabs at modern class struggles on album standout “Used to Good Advantage” (“If rules can be destroyed by truth / Then they should be”), while addressing heavy themes like nationalism, financial strain and systemic injustice elsewhere on the album. Not in a preachy way, but more in a “hey, we’re just trying to make sense of it all like you” kinda way. But like, with huge melodic hooks.
On Tales for the Rages, Piebald effortlessly balances jangly indie-rock with emo-punk catharsis, along with some left-field surprises and fist-pump-worthy breakdowns. I wasn’t exactly expecting a new Piebald album. And definitely not one as good as Tales For The Rages, a shining example of how you can mature without sacrificing everything that made us fall in love with them in the first place.
Tales For The Rages track listing:
- Still On the Couch
- This Thing is Old
- Used to Good Advantage
- Gentlemen Callers
- Conundrum Speculator
- More Month Than Money
- Fun Destroyer
- Power Smile
- No One Seems to Mind
- Dance Till We Fall Apart
- Cooler Heads Prevail
- Strangest Dream
- River Below
Lacking the talent to actually play in a band, Tom decided he would write about bands instead. Turns out his writing skills are mediocre at best as well.
