GET UP KIDS, THE - Guilt Show LP (Coke Bottle Clear With Red Splatter Vinyl)

Label: Vagrant

It’s a relief to see the Get Up Kids still willing to evolve on the heels of 2002’s On a Wire, which while “risk-taking and reflective” (thanks, press release!) was an unexpected sea change from their earlier, punkier work and was coolly-received in some circles. Lead singer Matt Pryor has conceded that while he’s a fan of On a Wire, its songs are not that much fun to play live. The curse of the “headphones-record” strikes again! Guilt Show, then, corrects its predecessor’s lack of fun (for lack of a better term) with big guitars, catchy melodies and handclaps, but doesn’t regress to the days of their more immature, “girls are lame” work. To these ears, the Get Up Kids have finally arrived.

The story goes that Guilt Show — as a title — came about when the band misread a billboard for a quilt show (Yes, the band is from the Midwest). Whether it’s a happy accident or fate or just the sign of a band on a musical and thematic hot streak, Guilt Show proves to be an apropos title. With Guilt Show the Kids are better than alright.