Growing up and getting older ain’t half bad. Well, sometimes it sucks, but sometimes it’s absolutely wonderful. One of the most peculiar things about growing older is not realizing it’s happening. Your mind often feels much younger- you still have the same interests, the same hobbies, and you still want to do the same things. You still want to listen to great music, go to shows, dance, and maybe drink all night. One of the best things about getting older can be having someone to share it with.
Disco Lunch is The Boy Detective’s second full-length album, and it’s the best album about growing up, getting older, and existing as a 40-year-old that I’ve ever heard. There are a million Blink-182s out there singing about growing up, meaning being in high school or being in college. Childhood friendships falling apart, falling in love, or falling out of love. Even getting married and settling down. I can think of very few bands (Girth Control comes to mind) that have multiple songs about what it’s like to be middle-aged, and actually mean it. Songs about being a dad that aren’t just about taking your kids fishing. Honestly, this album describes life in a way that is more relatable than anything.
The first track is basically an intro. It literally starts off introducing the band and the album before breaking into a surf-y styled guitar, some big brass horns with a lot of pop punch, and a quick, short, hardcore-style growl-yell verse. The Boy Detective has a very distinct sound that blends crisp, clean ska punk with hardcore breakdowns and vocal styles to match both. Perfect for the metal head that isn’t afraid to skank to something upbeat.
The next track is “Haunted House” and the aches and pains and creaks and groans our bodies make as we age, but unlike memes and the normal whining about getting injured from sleeping in the wrong position, the song includes references to living with a wife (my wife tells me I should write slower songs, and I think she’s right) and raising kids. Honestly, it’s surprisingly heartwarming to hear these references, because it feels extremely humanizing. Artists only write about falling in love, but very rarely do you hear a song with a reference to your spouse giving you advice. It’s so mundane and real it’s among the most relatable songs I’ve ever heard.
This theme reappears throughout the album, but most noticeably on “2 Dad 2 Worse” and “What are you, the Shoe Police?” “2 Dad 2 Worse” is so fucking amazing. It’s just a story, about a night out at a bar acting like you’re 21 with no obligations and a babysitter, so you don’t have to think about the kids… but not being able to not think about the kids, going home early, still waking up with a hangover, but getting out of bed and making breakfast for the kids. This is what Blink-182 should have written when they said, “Well, I guess this is growing up”.
In “What are you, the shoe police,” the lyrics are about learning to love unconditionally, and how parents are never taught how to be parents; it’s all trial and error, and hoping the messages you teach your kids stick with them, and they take the right lessons from your actions. My favorite line is about loving unconditionally, even if they grow up to be a cop… and that line pairs perfectly with my favorite song on the album…
TANGC! This song has two verses, polar opposites. The first verse is told as the narrator is a shitty cop, beats his wife (as estimated up to 40% of police officers are believed to engage in domestic violence), frames some kids, and abuses minorities. The second verse is told from the perspective of your opposite type of police officer, loving, kisses his wife goodbye in the morning, rescues a cat, and helps an old lady cross the street- the perfect upstanding citizen cop. The chorus reminds us that there are no good cops because as long as the second cop lets the first cop go unchecked and unreported, as long as there is one bad apple, it spoils the bunch. There Are No Good Cops.
The music is phenomenal throughout the album. I wrote this entire review and didn’t mention the singles, which are probably the best songs on the album to the average listener. This is definitely one of the better albums of the year- and while I have not seen The Boy Detective play live, I am constantly told by everyone who has that they are one of the best live performances you will ever see. The Boy Detective is out of southern Michigan, so if you are ever in that area, be sure to follow them. This is the second ska album in as many months to be released on Punkerton Records, out of Columbus, Ohio, and both have been absolutely phenomenal. Punkerton Records has announced Ska-Punkerton Records as a project that has not had its entire scope made public yet, but if this is the start of it, I am fully on board.
Written by Gimp Leg
