Bloomington pop punk trio Good Luck is one of the best bands to emerge from Indianapolis’s sister city. After the release of their first full-length LP, 2008’s Into Lake Griffy, the band found regional success with their irresistible sound and great song-writing. While Good Luck’s sound could be lumped into the emo genre that’s emerged in the Midwest in recent years due to guitarist and co-vocalist Matt Tobey’s noodly riffs and sometimes unconventional time signatures, their undeniably positive energy helps them transcend the genre and form into something much more accessible to a wider audience. Now the band has released their follow-up LP, Without Hesitation, which can currently be heard on Alternative Press.
The signature style, impressive musicianship, and solid sound of their first album are all present in this new outing. Fans of the band who have picked up last year’s Demonstration 2010 will have had a sneak peek into this album, as the three of the four songs from the EP are present on WH, re-recorded for the album with a couple new tweaks. The standout track from the EP, “Novel Figure” is easily the standout track on this album, with the most manic energy of the album present in a furious display of thrashing guitars and pounding drums over co-vocalist and bass player Ginger Alford’s powerful vocals. Matt Tobey’s vocals and twinkling guitar float through the spaced-out “Decider” with a catchy chorus of vocal harmonies taking the listener through its fantastic finish and bringing it gently back down to reality.
However, the rest of the album doesn’t quite live up to the expectations set by the band's previous two outings. While every song on Into Lake Griffey was fully realized and packed a punch, several of the songs on Without Hesitation don’t feel quite finished and ultimately just feel like padding between the meatier songs. “Impossible” shows the band trying a faster tempo than they’re used to with relatively successful results, and songs like the crashing “Our Mess, Our Mark” and the epic “The Story, Rewritten” are the best new songs to emerge from the album. But songs like the album’s opener “All Good People” and closer “Significant Day,” while by no means bad songs, leave just a little more to be desired.
Into Lake Griffey was an absolutely solid first effort, complete with some of their best song-writing to date, giving a fitting ode to their hometown and managing to remain upbeat while pouring out sometimes heartbroken lyrics. While Without Hesitation kind of just floats along while not quite living up to its predecessor’s standards, it’s still a fairly good album definitely worth a listen or two. Long-time fans will be satisfied with Good Luck’s sophomore album, but new fans probably won’t have their minds changed without listening to Into Lake Griffey first.
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