No Closer to Heaven

No less caffeinated than they’ve ever been, these Philadelphia punk-pop heroes get existential on their fifth album. Ruminations on death are everywhere here—whether they're internalising pop-cultural lore on “A Song for Patsy Cline” and “A Song for Ernest Hemingway”, or imagining a different life narrative for a friend who died on “Thanks for the Ride”. But no matter the subject, singer Dan “Soupy” Campbell still strains his vocals with every heartfelt word he screams—and each song burns with huge choruses, thundering drums and guitars cranked to 11.