Under the banner of
Off with Their Heads, Minneapolis songwriter
Ryan Young and a constantly rotating cast of area punks brought life to his prolifically churned out songs of angst, anxiety, self-pity, and general hard living. Keeping to a rigorous touring schedule,
Young never had any lack of complicated emotions and opportunities for bad decisions to fuel his songs, and he brought a grim soul-searching to raw, amped-up melodic punk songs album after album.
Be Good marks the project's fifth proper album, not including a slew of singles, EPs, and lesser projects. Their first album of completely new material since 2013's
Home (2016's Won't Be Missed reworked older songs in new acoustic readings),
Be Good is all anthems of searching for hope in misery.
Young's hardened growl is just as weathered as ever, but there's a sense of redemption that was missing in earlier songs. The long span of time off the road and a move from his longtime home of Minneapolis to Chicago might account for the ever-so-slightly lighter shades on
Be Good. The album starts with "Disappear," perhaps its clearest and most present tune.
Young sings a straightforward melody, lyrics dripping with disappointment, loneliness, and sentiments of feeling lost in a new place. The song erupts into blinding force, an unrelenting punk rock anthem mourning the loss of a former self. This meeting of blazing instrumentals and clearheaded self-inspection defines much of the album, with songs that beg for a deeper truth from both
Young's internal and external worlds. "Take Me Away" looks for a savior and "Tear Me Apart" demands respect from a destructive relationship. Produced by
Young, the album has some of
Off with Their Heads' most driven performances. "Let It All" boasts production so red-lined it feels like the song is threatening to burst into flames at any moment. A more mature and introspective take on the bands' depressive pop punk is refreshing. Their always energetic songs rank with
Against Me! and
Alkaline Trio in terms of sheer force and dour emotional connectivity, and
Be Good offers the strongest impact the band has made to date.