One of my favorite tropes in music is the band who have been so ambitious and brave that the biggest challenge they can make for themselves is to record something “normal” for once. So the follow-up doesn’t have have the conceptual grandiosity, postmodern headfucking, or sheer size of David Comes To Life, but do not confuse Fucked Up for a band that’s taking it easy. These 10 songs find one of the hardest-working bands in punk being tougher on themselves than anyone thought necessary, but it pays off with one of the most powerful lyrical self-examinations we’ve heard in quite a while, while still containing some of the funnest and most musically satisfying songs of their career. There’s no grand vision here, just a long, hard stare into a lavishly decorated mirror. –Miles [LISTEN]