New album from The Plastic Pals

For two decades, The Plastic Pals have been flying the flag for heartfelt, guitar-driven rock music that wears its spirit on its sleeve. Formed in Stockholm back in 2005 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Håkan “Hawk” Soold, the band has spent the last twenty years forging a sound that feels at once timeless and current, a shimmering blend of dual guitar psychedelia, garage punch and bright power pop appeal. Alongside longtime bandmates Anders Sahlin on guitar, Bengt Alm on bass and Olov Öqvist on drums, Håkan has built a catalogue that nods to the past while always striding forward, driven by the steadfast belief that good songs and good energy can carry you through anything.

The Plastic Pals first cut their teeth in Stockholm’s live scene and found their early audience on MySpace, back when online discovery was still a novelty. Their 2006 debut EP The Band That’s Fun To Be With unveiled their original sound and by the time their first full-length Good Karma Café landed in 2008, word had spread well beyond Sweden. That same year, the band caught the attention of the writers behind cult fanzine Bucketfull of Brains, who invited them to London’s Windmill Brixton to perform at a Paisley Underground celebration.

It proved to be a watershed moment for the flourishing outfit which saw them play alongside Sid Griffin of The Long Ryders and their own set of jangly, driving originals. From there, the road kept rolling forward and over the years, The Plastic Pals have gigged from Milan to New York, Liverpool to Copenhagen, backing legends and playing with some of rock’s most revered names including The Dream Syndicate, Chuck Prophet, The Fleshtones, The New Christs and ex–Green on Red members Dan Stuart and Chris Cacavas, the latter of whom produced their 2013 record Turn The Tide.

Wherever they’ve gone, they’ve left an impression; their live shows are unpretentious, full of chemistry and always built around melody and heart. Last year, The Plastic Pals celebrated 20 years together as a band and now they bring us their latest release with their new full-length record titled Keep it Burning, an epic twelve-track album that sees them continue to operate at the very highest level.

Co-produced and mixed by Jonathan Segel of Camper Van Beethoven, the album features an impressive cast of collaborators, including Italian musicians Stiv Cantarelli and Francesco Bonfiglio, longtime friend Chris Cacavas on keyboards and Martin Ek on trumpet. From start to finish, the album explores what it means to persevere, to keep creating, feeling and believing in the face of uncertainty. Thematically, the album reflects not just personal endurance, but a reaction to the world at large, to division, disinformation and the erosion of empathy. Yet despite its darker themes, the record pulses with light, humour and the same melodic spark that’s always driven The Plastic Pals.

Kicked off with “Saturday Night and Sunday Morning,” the laid back strums of lightly fuzzy guitar and stretch of organ tones are met by warm vocal leads to set up a breezy rock jam that rolls with bouncy rhythmic energy and charming vocal leads spinning catchy hooks throughout. “Flames of Fate” follows with the twang of intricate lead notes and rustle of shuffling drums before Håkan’s expressive voice glides in to form a bright pop rock outing brimming with memorable songwriting, alluring vocal harmonies and elegant violin-tinged instrumentation.

Lead single “The Blue Train,” a tribute to the late Robbie Robertson of The Band, serves up a wistful yet propulsive anthem that captures both nostalgia and renewal wrapped up in an utterly delightful track packed full of moving vocals and exquisite musicianship. Title track “Keep it Burning” brings a mellow groove of soft rhythms, delicate guitar layers and tender vocals, casting a dazzling display of the band’s enduring writing and truly engaging sound.

Songs like “A Sliver of Hope” and “The Hawk Moth” explore emotional determination with the wisdom of experience, the latter delivering the kind of sharp lyrical observation that has become Håkan’s trademark, “I’ve got no problem with uncertainty, it’s those who claim to be sure that scare me. It’s a roller-coaster ride all of the time,” he sings. Closing the LP with “Love’s Not the Answer,” the band presents a misty retro pop moment packed full of stunning melodic flickers and poignant context, wrapped in absorbing arrangement to offer a superb finale to the band’s incredible new record. After twenty years, The Plastic Pals are still staking their claim as torch bearer for rock n’ roll music while confirming their status as an essential act in the wider story of guitar-focused music.

Listen to Keep it Burning below