Guardrail, A Chicago Pop-Punk band isn’t a band that is new to me. They are one that I came to enjoy during the Pandemic. I honestly cannot tell you why; there was just something about them. After the pandemic, I didn’t listen as much, but I still would put on Yikes!, their late 2020 release. A fantastic EP, by the way. Fast Forward to now. Guardrail is gearing up to release their latest album, Content, this Friday on Open Your Ears Records, And I will be the first to say, “It’s one hell of an album” And if pop-punk is your poison, then you are going to enjoy this album.

The first thing that sticks out about this album is it’s a throwback to that early 2000s pop-punk sound. You know, the bands, the label. They would have perfectly fit on any of my mix CDs back in the day, along with the likes of Homegrown, The Ataris, Mest, Halifax, and Allister. They have a cover of “Somewhere on Fullerton” by Allister that they did for a compilation for a friend a few years back.

“Seriously,” the opening song wastes no time with that nostalgic sound. What a fun opening song. As some of you know, I’m a sucker for a good opening and closing track, and this is that. The energy here is next level, and I’m here for it. I’m going to stick with that feeling for a second. “Down At The Bottom” is one of those songs you’d listen to a few times on repeat while on the way to Warped Tour. Windows down, music up, and everyone in the car is singing along. This is that song. I may put it on the next time some friends, and I go to a show, just so I can have that feeling again. Sad Summer? Maybe. We’ll see. “Joke’s On Me” is one of the best songs on the album. It’s the first song that has bassist Alyssa Laessig on vocals, and she knocks it out of the park. Since I have been listening to Guardrail, I have always thought of her as their secret weapon, and this song shows why, such a powerful angelic voice. The last single released for the album was “Silhouette,” and it’s one of my favorites on the album. It’s a classic fun pop-punk song. You can’t help but move your head a little, maybe even get up and dance a little. I did. (I apologize to my neighbor below me. I was listening at & in the morning) My absolute favorite song on the album is “Nostalgiacore.” This song sums up everything I feel about this album. It’s what I was feeling throughout the album. I take notes as I’m listening to albums, and a lot of what I had written about other songs was mentioned in this one. I miss my friends from a time long gone, I miss Warped Tour, I miss riding around listening to music with no destination in mind, and I just miss those days. This will be my anthem for the rest of the summer. This will be my inspiration. I can’t wait for my friends and you all to hear this song. The album closes with “Hail Jupiter,” and it’s a banger. Above, I mentioned how I’m a sucker for a good opening and closing song, well, this is the closer, and it delivers and all accounts. It leaves you with the feeling that everything is good and that things are going to be okay. You got this. And I, for one, am here for it.

This is an excellent album from start to finish. It’s 12 songs in around 40 minutes or so. There is no filler, just straight bangers. I’ll admit I don’t listen to a lot of pop-punk these days, but this is an album I’ll be listening to for a while. I would even say it has rekindled my love of the genre.