The Bouncing Souls have spent the last decade playing with less energy on record after record. “Simplicity” is the record that stops that drift. 13 songs, 29 minutes, none of them past four minutes. The band cuts things back to a quick pace, strong hooks and short songs, and the whole album moves like it has somewhere to be.
The Fast Ones Up Front
The album opens with “Driving All Night,” a 1:56 song that sets the pace and keeps it. “Euphoria” and “Satellite” follow close behind, and “Satellite” is the one that sticks. At 2:51 it’s the longest song in the opening part, and it earns the extra time with the best chorus on the record.
“Digital Twilight Zone” and “I Wanna Be Bored” keep the pace high and the songs short, both running under a minute and a half. “Hey Aliens” does the same. All three of these songs stay short and to the point, and none of them goes on too long.
“Hero Zero” is where the record grows quieter just enough to let a gentle mood show through, and it works. At 2:55, it gives the softer, gentle side of the band room without losing the force of the songs around it.
Middle Songs
“Writing on the Wall” runs 3:07, one of the longer cuts on the album, and it holds up. “Rebel Song” comes right after and does the opposite — two minutes, no wasted motion, one of the tightest songs here.
“Tightrope” and “Gravity” fill out the middle without breaking from the plan the band set at the start. Neither song does anything new, but neither drags either.
“Bees” comes late in the track list at 2:14 — quick, direct, and over before it can tire the ear.
Closing With “Up to Us”
“Up to Us” closes the album at 3:47, the longest song on the record, and it works as a closer because it earns the extra room after twelve songs that refused to take it. It gives the record a quieter, warmer close without stopping its drive, and it sends the album out on its strongest note.
Here are the six songs that do the most for this record, in order of strength:
- Satellite
- Up to Us
- Rebel Song
- Digital Twilight Zone
- Hero Zero
- Driving All Night
This is not a record that pushes the band toward new ground. It does not need to. It is a band remembering what made them work in the first place and doing it well, song after song, in under half an hour.
“Simplicity” does not change what The Bouncing Souls are. It reminds you why they never had to.
- Driving All Night1:56
- Euphoria1:45
- Satellite2:51
- Digital Twilight Zone1:26
- I Wanna Be Bored1:03
- Hey Aliens1:18
- Hero Zero2:55
- Writing on the Wall3:07
- Rebel Song2:02
- Tightrope2:24
- Gravity3:05
- Bees2:14
- Up to Us3:47
