Sometimes doing it yourself in the music industry is the best way. Don't believe me? Ask The Perms who over the course of their career have released four albums on their own without the aid or assistance of the music industry and have become fairly successful by doing it their own way. Their latest album, Keeps You Up When Your Down, sees the band further developing into one of the tightest power pop bands on the planet.
Keeps You Up When Your Down is the perfect title for this album as it's a totally upbeat, jumpy power pop record that's so energetic it could power a small city. According to bassist Shane Smith, "With every record we try to push our songwriting and musicianship to the next level, " and they've done just that on this release. In fact, Keeps You Up When Your Down sounds like the best thing that Bob Mould never got around to recording or something Urge Overkill lost a decade or so ago. Packed with a pop punch that will leave a black eye, the album is filled with chunky riff after chunky riff and multi-part harmonies that make themselves at home between your ears. Keeps You Up When Your Down is classic stuff in the making.
The Perms have such a strong pop sensibility that there is simply no way that Keeps You Up When Your Down could ever fail. With utterly gargantuan hooks, super strong songs, and more energy than the sun, listening to this record is almost too easy. There's simply nothing the matter with anything here and The Perms have clearly made the best album of their career. They're so on top of their game that bands would kill to have the songwriting skills that The Perms have. Heck, even their power ballads are good.
Guitarist Chad Smith says that, "These songs are by far the best we've ever written." And he's right. From the simple guitar chugs of, "Nightshift," to the stomp and sugary sweet harmonies of, "As You Were," Keeps You Up When Your Down never ceases to entertain and The Perms never cease to rock; that's a very very good thing.
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