Ten years ago, pop-punk was an ironic term. The bands playing so-called popular punk ten years ago never dreamed of playing sold-out concerts in massive arenas. Popularity meant playing in a VFW hall packed to capacity. Now, pop-punk bands like Taking Back Sunday and Fall Out Boy are not only playing in sold-out arenas but are the most popular bands on MTV’s TRL.
The change in taste makes perfect sense — people are tired of listening to groups put together by record labels, and instead want to listen to bands that write and play original music. However, credit must be given where credit is due and the band that deserves said recognition for inspiring the current wave of pop bands is a recently reunited band from New Jersey called Lifetime.
Lifetime formed in 1990. Its 1995 release Hello Bastards is arguably the most influential pop-punk album of all time. With influences ranging from Dag Nasty to the Jackson Five, Lifetime was able to create a sound that had never been heard before. It broke free from the tough-guy hardcore style that dominated the punk genre in the early ’90s by playing catchy hooks with positive lyrics. The band broke up in 1997 but reformed in the summer of ’05 due to popular demand.
Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz approached the band in March ’06 and asked them to sign with his label, Decaydance. In an interview with The Daily Free Press, guitarist Dan Yemin said the band decided to sign with Decaydance because Wentz offered them “a unique position of power” to do whatever they wanted to do for the album. Yemin further explained, “Pete is just a big fan. He said he wouldn’t be playing music if it weren’t for Lifetime.”
After much anticipation, Lifetime’s new self-titled album was released Tuesday. Die-hard Lifetime fans will be blown away by the band’s ability to stay true to its original sound. New listeners will find themselves tossing out their My Chemical Romance albums and playing Lifetime on repeat. Lifetime’s return will prove that pop-punk is not about having the perfect hairstyle but about being able to connect with fans on a level no other genre of music allows.