New Politics is back with their last project, Vikings, which is the band’s third studio album. Vikings is comprised of high-energy songs, pop-punk guitar riffs, and synthesizers. The album opens with their single, “West End Kids,” a badass anthem for young people rebelling against those who underestimate them. The second track on the album is New Politics’ lead single, “Everywhere I Go (Kings and Queens).” “Everywhere I Go (Kings and Queens)” will probably be more commercially successful, but it’s not as strong as “West End Kids.”
I respect how Vikings was structured, even though I would not have suggested opening the project with back-to-back anthems. Vikings maintains its high energy momentum with songs like “Stardust,” “Strings Attached,” “50 Feet Tall,” and “Dreams,” although I wish the band would have created an edgier project. New Politics was right on the verge of going all the way punk, but they held back a little. Don’t get me wrong, this project is far from cheesy, but I would have loved to hear more songs like “50 Feet Tall.” Frontman David Boyd is a great vocalist, but he seems hesitant to really attack songs at times. He shows off his skills on the track “Girl Crush,” and he sounds very confident on this song. “Girl Crush” has a 1950s doo-wop sound, and the hook is pretty catchy.
If New Politics continues to record songs like “West End Kids,” then they will be well on their way to becoming icons in pop-punk music. Guitarist Soren Hansen and drummer Louis Vecchio were superb on this album. “Dreams” really highlighted their contributions to the project. My favorite songs from Vikings include “West End Kids,” “Girl Crush,” “Pretend We’re In A Movie,” “50 Feet Tall,” and “Dreams.”