For those who miss Andrew W.K. telling you to always party hard, weep no longer. New Politics’ “Harlem” is here punch you in the mouth. With cocky hard rock chords, hard hitting drum beats and fist-in-the-air vocals, it’s a brash, in-your-face anthem that’s not ashamed to sound loud and dumb. “Harlem” is also currently climbing the Alternative Songs chart, so it’s probable that in 2014, all of alt-rock radio will be kicking your ass with awesomeness.
For a song as exhilarating as “Harlem,” you’d be surprised that A Bad Girl in Harlem, the album where “Harlem” comes from, is a more subdued. The only other song that matches the intensity of “Harlem” is the fierce “Just Like Me,” a taunting, post-hardcore track along the lines of Rise Against or METZ. Instead, the rest of the album takes inspiration from the post-punk revival movement. Even though you might be disappointed by how A Bad Girl in Harlem resembles Hot Fuss more than I Get Wet, there are still a few worthy tracks on here. “Die Together” and “Goodbye Copenhagen” charm with their Killers-like sound. The cheery “Give Me Hope” is another enjoyable cut, if you forgive the rapping in the song’s bridge .
Unfortunately, the rest of the album fuses this post-punk sound with some of the worst mainstream alt-rock tropes from the past decade. In turn, you get the irritating “Tonight You’re Perfect” and “Berlin,” tracks that incorporate all the annoying histrionics you hated in emo-pop. “Stuck on You” is the album’s obligatory piano ballad, a horrifyingly generic piece of overwrought tripe. “Overcome” mixes the band’s already mediocre rapping skills with the “white guy with acoustic guitar” sound you hear with Jason Mraz (though the awfulness is somewhat offset by the great string arrangements in the background). “Fall Into These Arms” is supposed close the album on a exciting note with plodding synths and a booming chorus, but instead comes off as cheesy and uninteresting.
With so much potential, A Bad Girl in Harlem is sadly bogged down by boring, terrible, ho hum pop-rock tracks. But hey, singles can be more effective than albums in defining a band’s legacy. As long as “Harlem” is the only New Politics song charting, you can always pretend that New Politics are Andrew W.K.’s disciples. It’s not like the other crappy songs from this album will be released as singles, ruining the band’s image as… wait, “Tonight You’re Perfect” is also charting? Oh dear…
Grade: 5/10
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