ALBUM REVIEW ~ SIMPLE PLAN ~ 'HARDER THAN IT LOOKS'

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This band needs no introduction as Simple Plan hit the music scene with their hit single I’m Just a kid back in 2002 releasing their debut album No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls. This Canadian rock band went on to release five studio albums Still Not Getting Anny (2004), Simple Plan (2008), Get Your Heart On (2011), and Taking One For The Team (2016). Hits like, “I’m Just a Kid” and “Don’t Wanna Think about You” were featured in movies like Cheaper by the Dozen, Grind, New Guy and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.

After 20 years together, their sixth studio album Harder Than it Looks was released on May 6th. Singles like “Antidote” (released December 21), “Ruin My Life” (released February 2022) and “Congratulations” (released March 2022) are featured on this album. Going back to their pop punk roots, this album has the classic Simple plan sound we fell in love with back in 2002. Even though the sound of this album went back in time, it’s definitely not a bad thing. The maturity and growth is coming through in the lyrics of the songs which tackle serious issues of love and life.

Showing support in the light of the Ukraine war with the single “Wake Me Up (When This Nightmare’s Over),” directed by Ukrainian filmmaker Jensen Noen, raising money in support of this cause. The video released on April 19 shows the distressed images of the reality of war with broken buildings, soldiers saying goodbye to families and injured kids and civilians. Telling the story of the director and crew members who worked on this emotional video. “ It’s never been so loud and clear, I wish that I could disappear, To a place that’s far from here, & Cause I can just feel it, Tell me we’ll be alright, Tell me we’ll be alright, Yeah, wake me up when this nightmare’s over, Yeah, make it stop, it won’t last much longer, I wanna get away but I can’t escape, Try to run but I’m going nowhere, Yeah, wake me up when this nightmare’s over” This lyrics hits so hard in this video and you can feel what the people of Ukraine is going through.

“Million Pictures of You” is another song that pulls me in, with the classic pop punk sound. It reminds me of “I’m Just a Kid,” but with the very distinct difference in Lyrics. “A million pictures of you could never be enough, Now you’re touching my hand and I’m biting my tongue, Cause I know you’re the one, I swear we’ll be more than a memory, A million pictures of you till the morning light, If we don’t leave this room Ill be perfectly fine, For the rest of my life, I swear we’ll be more than a memory, More than a memory.” Showing they are not kids anymore, seeing the worth of love and spending time with that special person not bothered by staying in or being bored.

Taking the band back to their roots is probably the best thing they could have done. Showing that sometimes, no matter how crazy it seems, the band knows who they are. They will definitely make an impression on long-time fans and gain lots of new younger fans. Go check out the album and web pages for dates on the spring tour.

I’m Music Magazine Magda Engelbrecht