The Bivona brothers (Kevin -guitar, Justin – bass and Jesse – drums) provide a solid musical backing for the star of the show, Aimee to sing over. The album really is about Aimee and the hardships and problems she has had throughout her life. She is bravely laying her soul bare for all to see and using it as a way to confront, acknowledge and come to terms with the past.

This is apparent from the opening track ‘Anything Was Better ‘a rousing tune with dark undertones, Aimee sings

“I’m thankful for the lessons

But the memories are dark

Good riddance to that home

Where the nightmare had begun”

Before the chorus:

“Anything was better

Than where I was from”

In ‘Raised By Wolves’, a rather raw sounding song, we get

“You left a child out in the wild

And I was raised by wolves”,

so far we are not getting a pretty picture of her home life when growing up.

In ‘Jailbird Aimee’ confonts her mental health problems,

“I bitе my nails, until they bleed

Pullin’ out my hair from the root like a weed”.

This may make the album sound mighty depressing, but it’s not. Aimee has survived all this and just look at her now, full of strength and inspiration!

‘My Heart’ is a beautiful celebration of the life of Aimee’s dog Daisy who passed away in 2018. Having recently lost my own dog, I fully identified with every word of this song and have to admit I shed a few tears. This song is a great example of their willingness to move into different musical areas as it recalls the great teenage love/death songs of the late 50s and early 60s.

‘As We Live’ is a gloriously bouncy  ska infused track, just what the band do best. It also features contributions from Tim Armstrong (Rancid) and Rhoda Dakar (Bodysnatchers). That ska sound is also heard in ‘Let Em Go’.

‘Burdens’ is a real gem of a track, featuring Alex Desert and Greg Lee of Hepcat, it is a little bit old school ska with a gospel feel that just bubbles along in one big joyous sound! Another collaboration this time with The Skints, ‘Love Never Dies’, sees the band entering into full blown reggae territory.

It is perhaps the closing song, ‘Alien’, that presents the biggest surprise: a piano  driven ballad about feeling like an alien because you don’t fit in, the chorus sums it up beautifully

“And I don’t fit in, I’m strugglin’

I’m trying to be one of them

But I’m an alien around here”

It sure doesn’t sound like anything the Interrupters have done before and really shows how they have grown as a band and become more versatile in their songwriting but remain true to their roots..

So The Interrupters manage to deliver a great fourth album. They have experimented musically, but the resulting tracks are most definitely in their own style. A brilliant band who deserves all the success that they get.

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