If you played Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater as a kid it’s an absolute guarantee that you’ll recognize the first song off Pennybridge Pioneers. That game was a defining part of my childhood and many of my generational peers, and “No Cigar” was a mainstay on the game’s soundtrack. It’s a perfectly put together skate punk song– the drumroll to start the song, the dissonant lead guitar behind beefy power chords in the intro, the stop/start dynamics between each section, and the chorus that begs to be sung along to. It feels and sounds like growing up.
Millencolin has been a mainstay in the punk scene for three decades now and was one of the first non-UK based punk bands I can remember that really broke through into North America. They’re Swedish and with that comes along a bit of silliness in their lyrics. Some of these are intentional (see “Fox”, which sounds like a crude love song at first listen until you realize it’s about a motorcycle– funny!) and some likely unintentional (“Right About Now” is totally fine musically but its lyrics are a bit cringy in retrospect). And then there’s songs like “No Cigar” and “Penguins & Polarbears” which have real staying power nearly 25 years after its release. Millencolin’s love for rock and roll has always been readily apparent in everything they’ve done and Pennybridge Pioneers will always be the album that put them on the map.
Standout Songs: “No Cigar”, “Fox”, “Penguins & Polarbears”
