Pop punk’s hooligan heroes, Masked Intruder, are back on the prowl with their all new sophomore release M.I. The ski-masked foursome clearly have no problem dodging the law while stealing hearts and throwing together one of the catchiest releases you will probably hear all year.
Having kept their identities safe so far, probably due to the band threatening anyone with blunt force to those who may know who all is actually under those masks, Masked Intruder remain an enigma of sorts in the punk rock world playing some of the greatest stalker-love jams ever recorded. Think Ramones and Chixdiggit!, but with plenty of obsession and missing valuables.
The album started out with a revamped recording of “I Fought The Law”, a track that originally appeared on Masked Intruder’s 2011 demo. This version clearly trumped the original and sounds even catchier than the demo version.
“The Most Beautiful Girl” is flawless when talking about a pop punk love song. In less than 2 minutes, the band manages to pack together harmonies within sing-alongable lyrics (is that even a word?) all while swooning someone special.
“Saturday Night Alone” pretty much sums up some of my weekend nights sans spending it in the slammer like these masked heartthrobs do. Hard-driven guitar playing (that easily could have been stolen from label mates Teenage Bottlerocket) played throughout making for a fun track. I loved when the band just stopped playing and just sang and crooned for just a couple of seconds only to start jamming out again.
I loved the track “When I Get Out”, especially on how the band sang about what they were going to do when they were released from the slammer. From getting revenge to slamming ice cream and pizza, it is clear that Masked Intruder had a lot of time to plan out their freedom while locked away and incorporate it all into a fun song.
I really was hoping the band would go all a cappella again on this release, and they did in “Almost Like We’re Already In Love”. It’s like a barbershop quartet song, but different. I’m sure if the band sang this song to me in person, I would be batting my lashes and blowing kisses their way.
“Hey Girl”, was a quick, catchy jam aimed at breaking the ice with the ladies. “Don’t Run Away” followed perhaps on purpose to assure all the beautiful ladies by singing “don’t run away, I think this is it.”
“Say that I’m a freak, a geek, a weirdo” started off “Wierdo”, a track that may have been written by actual events that happened in my life. Seriously, I think these guys plagiarized my lady luck in my early 20s and threw it into a song. What the hell guys?
Another great track was “I Don’t Wanna Say Goodbye To You Tonight”. It was a pop punk love track that may or may not require a restraining order.
Ending the album was “Locked Up And Lonely”, a song that did not really sound like the others as it was a little slow starting at the beginning, but only for a moment. I could not but help think 90s punk rock on this song. On another note, can someone please tell me why I thought of Charles Manson in this song (in a comical way of course). Seriously, as this song played, I thought of an emo’d out Manson sitting in a cell looking out his cell window and writing about how lonely he is.
After listening to this album at least 37 times in a row, it is safe to say that Masked Intruder has once again dropped a solid release. I was so addicted to their debut release so much that I failed to review it, but this time I decided I had to at least say a couple nice things about their latest effort.
M.I. has the potential to make Masked Intruder appear on many Most Wanted lists. With their quest to avoid Miranda Rights as well as continue to hide their identity, this band has surpassed the gimmick stage and is going toward full-blown rockstar.
So who are Masked Intruder? Who cares. Just keep them away from my record collection and wallet. Beyond that, I hope they keep doing their thing. Those guys rule hard.
Masked Intruder is seemingly always on tour. Personally, I think it is because they are running away from the law. Regardless, they are playing Cleveland on June 20th at Now That’s Class.
