This is the part where its tempting to say something like ‘sometimes, to look forward, you have to look back’ but – unless you’re reversing a car or you’re an owl – that’s almost certainly not the case. Nostalgia is treated like a dirty word. Yes, there’s a nod to the the past dotted here and there, but it’s all in the name of harnessing and enlivening the spark that makes the band special in the first place.
The quality of the songwriting and the delivery speak for themselves here. Musically, there’s no wistful rehashing of days gone by, just high-energy, feel-good punk rock that’s as sure of itself as you’d expect from a band with 25-plus years under their belt.
From turbo-charged, fist-pumping opener Infinite, to horn-laden, hands-in-the-air anthem The Best Life, all the component parts of a 24-carat Goldfinger record are present and accounted for. Other highlights include the short, sharp, shock of Nothing To Me, which is crying out for a circle pit (remember them?!), guest vocals from Save Ferris’ Monique Powell on Careful What You Wish For and the sun-kissed riffs of California On My Mind – a spiritual sequel to 2017 fan-favourite, Tijuana Sunrise.
For new fans, this is as good-an-entry-point as any in the band’s eight albums. For old fans, the record will scratch the same itch as blasting around a warehouse on Tony Hawk. Ultimately, whichever way you cut it, Never Look Back encapsulates everything great about Goldfinger.
Verdict: 4/5
For Fans Of: blink-182, The Interrupters, NOFX
Never Look Back is released on Dec 4th via Big Noise
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