If that album was a bit sluggish, they seem to have overcorrected on Fate & Alcohol, simplifying their girls-and-beers formula to its most basic and hoping that power chords and a few overeager "whoa-ohs" can fill the gaps.
The strongest songs replace these wincingly obvious descriptors with vaguer gestures at infatuation and heartbreak: "Forgive me if I'm suspicious, but it's rarely a social call," King sings on "A Gaslight Anthem," warily addressing an old flame.
These small successes only make the rest of the album's missteps more glaring, as it ultimately reiterates the band's weaknesses while providing fewer memorable moments than their earlier work.
At their best, Japandroids appeal just as much to women as to the dudes they've been so commonly marketed to-believe it or not, we are just as often searching for oblivion at the bottom of a Miller High Life.
Collection
[
|
...
]