San Diego punk combo
the Frights make their Epitaph debut with
Hypochondriac, a generally more personal set that still manages to retain the wily personality of their earlier releases. For a band that began as somewhat of a joke and who named their previous album
You Are Going to Hate This, this follow-up offers a little bit of necessary growth without abandoning the fun factor and absurdist tendencies that have become their hallmark. Case in point is opening cut "Tell Me Why I'm Okay," a wonky pastiche of acoustic slackery, tape-recorded conversation, and lo-fi manipulation with a surprisingly catchy tune at its core. The pop hooks abound throughout
Hypochondriac's 11 tracks, even as frontman Mikey Carnevale takes a more confessional tone on highlights like "Broken Brain" and "Over It," striking a balance between grungy melodic fuzz-pop and the warts-and-all emotive spirit of pop-punk. Self-referential, a little sweet, and still sarcastic, they even manage a jovial lyrical dig at punk peers
FIDLAR -- whose singer,
Zac Carper, reprises his role as producer here -- on the laid-back slack-pop jam "Whatever." With
Hypochondriac,
the Frights remain a fun and engaging band, evolving in the right places and flashing plenty of craft and vitality. ~ Timothy Monger