Militarie Gun – God Save The Gun

It happens ever so often: A punk band that leans on the more melodic side of hardcore tries its hand at blowing up its sound in a big, big way. To the surprise of no one, especially after Turnstile’s recent glow-up, the Los Angeles five-piece replicates their approach to really prove to themselves that they have range. And judging by their wild swings into shrill pop punk (“Kick”) and late-90s alt rock radio (“Fill Me With Paint”), they moderately succeed.

The songwriting on songs like “Wake Up and Smile” and “Maybe I'll Burn My Life Down,” while adventurous to a degree, usually delivers the same result: the layering of a few sonic embellishments to rough-edged anthems that end up clashing against each other. But the main offenders are the most straightforward, like on “B A D I D E A,” which, you might've guessed it, spells out its call-and-response chorus.

There’s a lot to admire here, especially since lead singer Ian Shelton gets real about his struggles with alcoholism, but you wish he’d look more inward rather than daydream about the effect these songs should have on stage.

God Save the Gun is out now via Loma Vista.