(Warner Music Canada)
I assume that this seven-track EP is meant to be an extension of their 2011 Get Your Heart On recording although it’s not clear whether the seven songs here are outtakes from the original record of whether they are new songs, either way, the Simple Plan sound is quickly becoming dated.
The punk-pop tracks that mark this record may have been current 10 years ago when the likes of Good Charlotte and Blink 182 dominated the charts but today its the likes of One Direction and The Wanted are getting all the hype. To their credit, Simple Plan are still cranking out angst-ridden pop tracks, yes with a bit of a rock edge on the opening number `Ordinary Life’ but unfortunately in this day and age, it’s all about hype, something Simple Plan benefitted from in 2004 when they were doing that Olsen Twins’ movie and were considered hot and trendy.
Simple Plan still has their fans, and judging by their current Australian tour, can still pull an audience abroad, yet the whole direction of this EP sounds decidedly stale. Pierre Bouvier, David Desrosiers, Sebastien Lefebvre, Jeff Slinko and Chuck Comeau are a great bunch of guys, but unless they can somehow update their sound and direction, these Montrealers are quickly going to run out of steam.
Download: Ordinary Life
