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AlbumREVIEWS: 'A YOUTH NOT WASTED' BY PEE WEE GASKINS
Pop punk band Pee Wee Gaskins (PWG) has been the ambassador of Indonesian youth ever since it dropped its first release, the aptly titled Stories from Our High School Years, in 2008
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Pop punk band Pee Wee Gaskins (PWG) has been the ambassador of Indonesian youth ever since it dropped its first release, the aptly titled Stories from Our High School Years, in 2008.
But it's not high school anymore: It's time for marriage, house mortgages, having children, or other adult things. It always feels weird to call an album by a bunch of 30-somethings a 'grown-up' album, but here we are on A Youth Not Wasted, PWG's first proper full-length recording since 2012's mini-album You and I Going South.
A Youth Not Wasted retains PWG's signature carefree, consciously youthful sounds that brought them fame and a devoted fanbase (christened as 'Dorks'), which is to say that this new album will be, at the very least, satisfying to fans.
Listen to cuts like 'Just Friends', previously released on 2013's The Transit EP, or 'Here to Stay', the latter boasting groovy bass lines by Dochi, twinkling synth notes by Reza, pulsating guitar by Ayi and singer Sansan's tireless vocals. The Warped Tour ' the landmark pop-punk US festival ' is just one phone call away for these guys.
But A Youth Not Wasted feels more like a victory run in the guise of a transition record, an album that seems to be saying goodbye in the moments of saying hello. I mean, just look at the title. This isn't to say that all the characteristics that made this band are nowhere to be found. Oh no, there's plenty of them, alright: the rather juvenile lyrics of 'Just Friends' ('Never in a million years/I will end up being your boyfriend.'), the opener 'Teriak Serentak' (Scream at the Same Time) ' with the wah-wah guitar and tailored-for-stadium, inviting lyrics.
And this is the first PWG record that's consistent from the very start. A Youth Not Wasted sounds like a record that rewards ample resources and patience afforded to a band that didn't always have them.
Simply put, these guys really know what freedom is like and what kind of good music that could come out of it. My favorite song of this record is the penultimate track, 'Jumping Jupiter', in which every sound that makes PWG comes together.
Considering PWG's reputation as a band whose influences ' New Found Glory, Blink-182, hell even Dookie-era Green Day ' trump any room for improvisation, A Youth Not Wasted is an achievement.
Above all, A Youth Not Wasted is a fun record, one that I'll see myself putting on over and over in the coming days. Surprisingly, the record didn't hit me with diminishing returns, but I understand if it might come off otherwise.
That's why I think A Youth Not Wasted might be more in service as a transition record. All in all, the one thing that I really appreciate about this record is how they made good on their word.
When they were interviewed months ago, as they were practicing the songs in a studio, they said, 'It's not really a grown-up album, but we're definitely a lot more free.' If you hear A Youth Not Wasted, whether you're a Dork or a 40-year-old, you would definitely believe them, too.
' Stanley Widianto
