Japandroids - Fate & Alcohol

The announcement of this fourth Japandroids LP came as mixed news to the faithful; it will be their last. Years of radio silence had led many to conclude that the Canadian duo had quietly called it a day already; instead, they’re back with a parting shot, seven years after the ambitious ‘Near to the Wild Heart of Life’ split opinion. This time around, the title suggests a return to the boozy, fists-to-the-sky garage rock that they made their name with on ‘Post-Nothing’ and ‘Celebration Rock’, on which the anthemic likes of ‘The Nights of Wine and Roses’ and ‘The House That Heaven Built’ played as paeans to hedonism and revelry. Instead, though, singer and guitarist Brian King is on more reflective form. The exuberance of old remains, but it’s tempered with a new self-awareness, as if the band know that this chapter of their lives is closing; ‘Chicago’ rings out with nostalgia, ‘D&T’ balances breezy melody with self-excoriating lyricism, and ‘Fugitive Summer’ simmers with restraint, at least until an explosive coda. ‘A Gaslight Anthem’ laments a broken friendship, while ‘Positively 34th Street’ is the track that captures the record’s central conflict better than any other, balancing the storytelling of ‘Near to the Wild Heart of Life’ with the buoyancy of their classic material. There’ll be no tour in support of ‘Fate and Alcohol’, so the album, and particularly stormy closer ‘All Bets Are Off’, are goodbye; by wrestling with the implications of their carefree early years on this final release, Japandroids have ensured they’ll be remembered not just as party starters, but as thoughtful songwriters, too.