Listening back to some of the music I enjoyed as a teenager, I forgot just how much shit everybody dwelled over. The worst days of my teen years were a cakewalk compared to the trials and tribulations I continue to face in adulthood. But how were we supposed to know that back then? The worst things we had to worry about was the girl that didn’t like us back, the embarrassing moments you had in front of your classmates, or getting bullied by the tough kid on the blacktop. Being a kid was tough, and it’s easy to feel misunderstood around adults who’ve got bigger things to worry about. Music once again was there to capitalize on that polarizing feeling of adolescent struggle, and I most closely associate pop punk with this kind of empathetic songwriting. The pop punk explosion saw its apex at the turn of the millennium, but its origins stem from the massive popularity of bands like blink-182 and Green Day in the late 90′s. These bands mastered the careful balance between possessing the songwriting chops to be taken seriously in the music industry, while also not taking themselves too seriously and allowing the whimsical juvenile immaturity of the band to shine through. Too much joking around and you risk jeopardizing your credibility, but the solution wasn’t an entirely straightforward approach. As a pop punk band, the group’s personality uniquely sets apart an act from a more generic pop punk artist. One band that I loved growing up that in retrospect toes the line between generic and groundbreaking was Simple Plan, a Canadian-based group that saw the bulk of their career success during their early years. The market for pop punk bands from the early to mid 2000′s started to get pretty oversaturated, blinded by the pursuit of success that more popular bands had followed. Just take a look at any of the lineups for Van’s Warped Tour during this era and you’ll see what I mean. Yet, there still remains a certain charm about Simple Plan that I haven’t been able to put my finger on. Perhaps it’s purely nostalgia fueled? Either way, I do remember a good deal of the mainstream success that Simple Plan enjoyed. My first introduction to the band was their second album, Still Not Getting Any..., which moved away from the punk side of pop punk to a more modern rock sound. It was a fun little album that I remember fondly, but I’m here for the full-on pop punk experience. Why not look at an example from their debut No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls that guest stars blink-182′s Mark Hoppus, I’d Do Anything? Now that’s what I’m talking about. Power chords, a brisk tempo, and delightfully cheesy lyrics from frontman Pierre Bouvier. It’s impossible not to crack at least the slightest smile when putting yourself back in the childhood mindset of innocent crushes. Pop punk is definitely a genre I would consider a guilty pleasure. Simple isn’t the right word for it, but it’s...minimal. It works with what it’s given and makes something great out of it. Simple Plan never received any Grammy nominations for their music, they don’t have any impressive accolades to tout, but what they do have is a catalog of music they can be proud of. Simple Plan recently embarked on a touring slate to promote the 15th anniversary of No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls, and have been working hard on an upcoming studio album! All the kids who loved this music back in the day are all grown up now, and we’re finally coming together in an attempt to capture that nostalgia!
