Four Black Lungs are back with their rendition of The Menzingers’ classic “I Don’t Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore.” Released on January 24, their version showcases five incredible musicians doing what they know the best, delivering premium melodic punk rock to the table. Inspired by the greats such as legendary Hot Water Music, The Menzingers, The Flatliners, Iron Chic, Spanish Love Songs, and Sincere Engineer, they infuse generous servings of rawness, abrasiveness, grittiness, while retaining the harmonious, melodic, anthemic qualities of the song. With all those fundamental elements borrowed from melodic punk rock, indie punk, and orgcore, Four Black Lungs are more than capable of supplying a jaw-dropping melodic punk rock experience that will not only indulge listening apparatuses of the longstanding fans but also gather newbies to the genre and even convince those picky music enthusiasts that punk rock music can still sound fresh, unique, innovative, and exciting. It’s one of those cover songs that unquestionably sounds even better than the original, thanks to the exceptional musicianship and modern production invested in it.
As soon as you press play, you’ll notice those familiar notes and beats that define The Menzingers’ version. Four Black Lungs left the song’s structure intact, with all those profoundly detailed segments, ideas, and orchestrations lurking around. They may have made a few changes, so this track could fit more into their sound. However, as you dive deeper into the core of the song, you’ll hear that these German punk rockers improved it by implementing all those qualities that meet all the trends in modern music production. Somehow, the vocals, guitars, and drums have more space, they don’t overwhelm each other, and each instrument has more than enough place to breathe in the mix. This production technique makes this composition more spacious, allowing it to strike with more power and emotion. You’ll also immediately notice how all those passionate, sincere, confident, emotional, and powerful vocal harmonies sound divine from scratch to finish, commanding attention and guiding the listening apparatus with precision and finesse. The addition of female and male dual vocal lines also elevates this composition to new heights while their impressive vocal range seamlessly balances low, mid, and high notes with such precision and finesse. Together, they clearly emphasize everything Four Black Lungs intended to achieve with this cover, as their vocal harmonies and singalongs decorate all the segments and instrumentations. They also paid attention to every nuance, detail, and accentuation, providing emotional depth and complexity to an already intricate track.
In the meantime, the guitars reign supreme in the mix. Their presence constructs a perfect backdrop for all those marvelous vocal harmonies to shine upon. The interplays between rhythm and lead guitars contribute to the mentioned complexity while contributing to such an ear-appealing atmosphere. You’ll hear how all those catchy, memorable, engaging themes, melodies, harmonies, and other sonic delicacies shine on one side while the other delivers powerful riffs and chord progressions. The generous servings of distortion supply the melodious ambiance with more rawness, abrasiveness, and grittiness yet it doesn’t overwhelm it. Quite the contrary, everything has its place and purpose in the mix. Of course, this rendition wouldn’t sound so powerful without the equally impressive rhythm section. You’ll hear how all those detailed, vividly hearable, warm-sounding basslines rumble beneath the guitar layers, providing more than necessary heaviness, clearness, and depth while binding everything together with rhythmic patterns. These low-ends are rich, deep, and heavy, contributing even more power to the track. The exceptional drumming performance based upon tastefully arranged, flawlessly performed, well-accentuated, energetic beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics keep everything in line while dictating groove and tempo. Each instrument has its place and purpose in this sonic equation, making this cover even more pleasant to the ears.
Four Black Lungs thought about everything while covering this classic, so you’ll have a great time listening to it. They improved the entire song by slightly changing the arrangements, decorating it with modern production, and breathing fresh air into such an incredible song. The best part about this cover is that it invites you to dig deeper into Four Black Lungs’ discography and discover their powerful, elevating, catchy punk rock sound. The cover is available on all streaming platforms. Don’t miss it!
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