Less Than Jake “In With The Out Crowd” Review

What originally drew me to Less Than Jake was the band’s ability to mesh ska and pop-punk without really venturing too deep into either genre. I don’t mean to go all Guttermouth, but, the band never touched on ska-core…or pop-core (?) for that matter. But we’ve both gotten older, and it’s time to re-assess the “You: play the music/I: listen to the music” connection we’ve had for roughly ten years. Starting point: the band’s new album In With The Out Crowd; Less Than Jake’s 8th in the band’s 14 year history. In it, the band has continues its basic song writing formula, which seems to have survived the late ’90s plague of copycats brought on by the popularity of, among others, Blink 182. And thankfully so as Less Than Jake have consistently performed and recorded songs that urge positive reminisce, whether it hearken a sound or a time, the band calls back to something positive from the past.

Unfortunately, the band’s enduring sound hasn’t maintained its fresh uniqueness, nor has it shifted away from the original recipe. In With The Out Crowd offers what some would probably consider classic Less Than Jake, but it also offers plenty of strange, unnecessary songs. “Overrated (Everything Is)” has seemingly slipped through the cracks and slithered out of 1999 with its comparisons to the radio friendly Lit or Eve 6 are far too close for comfort. A variety of the following songs from the album continue the entertain the idea that mainstream rock from 7 years ago was something essential, when in fact the vast majority of it belongs to stay in the past.

With that being said, and despite the lack of evolution, the band continues to play a variety of strong songs that enforce the thought that possibly, in some strange way, Less Than Jake are still relevant. “A Still Life Franchise” and “PS Shock The World” tease just enough ska to spark thoughts of wonder as to why the genre fell out of fashion so quickly (damn you No Doubt!). Even the pop-punk-ish “Fall Apart” offers a strong enough sound and lyric base to be considered a good song, both now and in the late ’90s. Overall, if you’re looking for something surprising or unconventional from the band, it won’t be found here. That being said, for historic fans of the band, you’ll still find something worthwhile with In With The Out Crowd.