The new album by Mad Ones, titled What It Takes is packed with full-on raucous power, spirited anthemic melodies, and cool guitar soloing and riffing with perfectly dialed-in overdrive on both guitar and bass. Vocals are shared by all three members, with Andrew DeVillers on guitar, Russ Fernandes on bass, and Jesse L. Bellon on drums.
The title track is pure trash pop with a totally catchy chorus, while “Hydra Head” suggests a Saturday morning cartoon spy agency comprised of villains. “Sleepwalker” is almost a ballad, with a slower pace and gang vocals in the chorus, until the middle eight where grunge and glam rock influences burst out.
Recorded live in the studio with some guitar overdubs, What It Takes captures lightning in a bottle. There’s tons of sound here for a trio, and the artists play with abandon and style, and sense of fun that is immediately infectious. There’s a sense of poetic skill to the lyrics, something that comes with experience.
“Molly Moth” is a hard edged song, with clever, catchy lyrics, razor sharp guitars and more gang vocals. There’s a definite callback to the intersection of pop and punk that became new wave and power pop at the beginning of the 80s. The absence of artifice is refreshing as the band members pour their hearts into the songs.
“Last Summer” had a bit of a glam intro, the chugging guitars and sincere vocals are nostalgic as they recall the past. “Down By Love” is a grungy tune which true to that genre is about a young person who was “looking for direction.” A tonal shift occurs when the band stops playing for an interlude of beautiful vocal harmonies and chiming guitar arpeggiations. Then comes some punk guitar soloing with Jimi Hendrix influences.
“Stranger Stranger” is a mysterious tune that again hearkens back to the great power pop sounds of the early 1980s, when distortion was tamed and lyrics emphasized storytelling. “Drone” feature gruff vocals and pumping drums and bass, wild guitar soloing and and more gang vocals in the chorus.
“She Talks” is a fast-paced paean to a wild muse, with chugging guitars and a lead guitar following the vocal melody, then a mellow interlude. Then a repetitive chorus outro recalls The Beatles of 1964. “Mess” finds the protagonist completely vulnerable, just simple bass and drums to accompany, until 90 seconds in the tune bursts out into grungy power, then ends the album on a quiet note.
Formed around 2013, Mad Ones are located in Toronto, Ontario, in Canada. What It Takes, on Fortune Stellar Records, is their fifth album. They’re currently in the UK for a mini tour before returning to Canada for a show in Hamilton, Ontario.
Mad Ones On Facebook
Mad Ones On Facebook
Mad Ones YouTube
Fortune Stellar Records dot com
finis