Published on April 4th, 2013 | by Denise Borders
0Masked Intruder “Self-Titled” Album Review
Blue – Vocals/guitar
Green – Guitar/vocals
Yellow – Bass/vocals
Red – Drums
For Fans of: Teenage Bottle Rocket, The Descendents, and The Ramones
MASKED INTRUDER
Self Titled
Fat Wreck Chords
available now n shit
Track List
1. Masked Intruder
2. 25 to Life
3. How Do I Get to You
4. I Don’t Wanna Be Alone Tonight
5. Unrequited Love
6. Breakin’
7. Heart Shaped Guitar
8. Am I Only Dreaming
9. Stick ’em Up
!0. Why Don’t You Love Me In Real Life
11. Hello Beautiful
12. Wish You Were Mine
13. Crazy
Four masked men from Madison Wisconsin that started sometime in 2010 and made their first album debut on Red Scare in the summer of 2012 that was later re-released by Fat Wreck Chords in February of 2013.
Doo-wop pop punk, if someone told me this I would say it couldn’t be done and that if someone were to try it they would butcher it. But who would’ve thought that the criminal (allegedly) quartet would’ve knocked it out of the park and made the signature sound their own. Masked Intruder’s self titled release is amazing; they first caught the attention of Red Scare’s Toby Jeg and were later taken under Fat Wreck Chords wings.
This album is immaculate from beginning to end. Songs about love, that pop punk sound with the doo wop flavor, but I think my favorite part about these guys is the harmonies; they melt my heart and I wish they would break into my house and sing me a love song. “Unrequited Love” sums up this album perfectly. It’s super doo-woppy, the back ups on this track are flawless and that sock hopping beat gives it the nostalgia that you could trick your grandparents into thinking it’s something that came from their day.
“Stick ‘Em Up” is one of the best songs on the S/T release because it is badass all around; from the sound, lyrics, and energy. It’s just bad ass, there is no other way to describe it. There is a lot of punch in the delivery of this song, vocally and musically; The drive in it just sets a tone for the whole song and even though it’s just shy of that 2 minute mark you can feel the energy build and once it’s over you want to go back and hear it on repeat.
As you go farther and farther into Masked Intruders debut album it’s hard to imagine that it’s going to get better because you feel like your mind has already been blown, and then “Wish You Were Mine” starts. My brain exploded. The colorful gang of four took every good part of doo-wop and every great part of Pop Punk and created this timeless song. From start to finish the vocals are memorizing; they execute the fusion of pop punk and doo-wop perfectly.
Masked Intruder are one of the most refreshing bands to enter the music scene in a while. They are the complete package with an incredible sound, catchy flattering lyrics, with awesome stage presence and performance. Don’t miss out on Masked Intruder, because they won’t disappoint and I’m excited to “follow” these guys and see what they have going on in the future.