Redd Kross

By the time Redd Kross released their 2024 self-titled album, they had been a band off and on for over 40 years, cranking out music that was equal parts punk attitude, glam rock glittery, heavy metal hard, and hooky like the Beatles. Guitarist/vocalist Jeff McDonald and bassist/vocalist Steven McDonald are rock & roll lifers to be sure, but not in any kind of way that suggests they are worn out or going through the motions. This album is as full of pulsating life, whip-crack energy, and intense devotion to craft as anything theyve ever done, and it just might be the best record theyve ever made. Whipped up during the emotional-rollercoaster days of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath of confusion and anger, the album is full of personal and political reckoning, with the brothers lashing out at the fakers and charlatans, turning their penetrating gaze inward, thinking about the past, and unleashing some of the most hardcore rock and shiny pop of their long career. With the help of longtime guitarist Jason Shapiro and producer/drummer/Jack-of-many-trades Josh Klinghoffer, the brothers aim for an unvarnished sound thats paint-peelingly live on rockers like "Candy Coated Catastrophe" or "Terrible Band," chiming and sweet on the poppier numbers ("Ill Take Your Word for It," "The Shamans Disappearing Robe") and tough and tender at the same time on big ballads like "The Main Attraction" and "Born Innocent" that show off a more sensitive side than many might expect. Some of that shift is due to Stevens flowering as a songwriter and singer. His songs are introspective and unflinching, whether hes detailing toxic relationships, his own foibles "(Stuff"), or the realities of life, and his voice is stripped of artifice and plainspoken. When he and Jeff duet on the truly heartwarming song "The Main Attraction," its almost painful in its beauty. Balancing those kinds of moments are the songs that sound angry enough to tear their targets into little pieces. Its easily the angriest record the duo have made; they sound frustrated and sickened by aspects of the age they are living through, and the unvarnished bile crashes out of the speakers like a flurry of punches. The balance between tender emotions and blisteringly raw feelings, ripping punk energy and chiming pop melodies, songs that are fun and those that are almost violent, makes for a very rich and enthralling listen, maybe the most varied and invigorating one yet. Thats saying a lot considering all the career highlights that the band have delivered so far, but Redd Kross is just that good. This is rock music at its most exciting and meaningful from a band whos doing their level best to keep the form alive and thriving. ~ Tim Sendra