Baku’s Revenge, the new album from Florida-based Magnolia Park, is the epitome of a great modern pop-punk album. Carried by relatable, vulnerable lyrical content, catchy as hell vocal melodies and choruses and larger than life instrumentation, Baku’s Revenge hits hard from start to finish and will have you singing along in no time.
In comparison to the band’s Heart Eater EP, which was recorded within the span of a week, Magnolia Park had much more time to work on Baku’s Revenge, and it shows. The result is an album that flows with ease, that’s packed to the brim with massive bangers and most importantly, that leaves no questioning just who Magnolia Park are. Hip-hop beats are interlaced with heavy, gritty guitar riffs, layered perfectly with Joshua Roberts’ soon to be iconic vocals in a way that makes Magnolia Park easy to pick apart from a crowd.
Lyrically, Baku’s Revenge hits hard, too. With songs touching on subjects such as depression and mental health, toxic relationships, as well as their own experiences with institutional racism and struggles to fit into the punk scene, each and every song on the album has a powerful takeaway. Whether it’s the soon to be underdog anthem, “Misfits”, the defiant “Radio Reject”, the incredibly personal “Paralyzed” or even the emotionally raw “Ghost 2 U”, Magnolia Park manage to shine on every song. They’re like chameleons, adapting to more hip-hop leaning tracks with ease and absolutely shining on the poppier tracks like “Addison Rae” or the anthemic “I Should’ve Listened To My Friends”.
The fact of the matter is, in 2022, it’s admittedly difficult to reinvent the wheel, especially when it comes to pop-punk, but Magnolia Park have managed to do that and then some. With Baku’s Revenge, they’re paving the way for the bands to follow, and it honestly comes as no surprise. If you’re not listening to them yet, this is your sign to start.