Foxboro Hot Tubs CD review

Foxboro Hot Tubs
Stop Drop and Roll!!!
Warner Bros.

The pressure on Green Day to record a follow-up to the 5x Platinum, Grammy-nominated “American Idiot” must have been intense. Up until that point the band was seen as just one of the many pop-punk acts out there, flooding the music scene. Groups like Blink-182 had stolen their thunder, record sales, even headliner status on the Pop Disaster Tour. 

Do they follow up with another rock opera? Do they reinvent themselves once again? Or do they play it safe and release some hook-heavy commercial singles?

As it turns out, they decided to take another turn and create a side project called Foxboro Hot Tubs so they could lay out 12 tracks of ’60s backbeat-style tunes. The sound comes straight from groups like Tommy James & the Shondells, who kept it fast and catchy. 

In fact, “Stop Drop and Roll!!!” clocks in at just over half an hour. It doesn't tell a story or have a concept, per se, and it definitely doesn't feel like it came from this century. Songs like the incredible "Mother Mary," with its lyrics, "Do you want to elope tonight / Getting lost in the shadows / All dressed up like a switchblade knife / Let's hang in love from the gallows" will hook a new generation of music lovers and get them to bob their heads and shuffle their feet. In fact, this record begs for sock hops to make a comeback.

Those of you worried that all 12 songs are full of love and romance, never fear. Though the sound is from the ’60s, the tone gets much darker. The lyrics for “Pieces of Truth” are the echoes of a love scorned with the catchy hook, "But we did it / Yeah you done it / What the fuck did I get myself into / with you?"

The entire album is a blast to listen to, and it seems like the band had fun making it. It's light and bouncy, and showcases a genuine love for the source material that’s being emulated. Rarely are bands at this stage in their career able to branch out and enjoy themselves. Let's hope they're able to hold on to this kind of excitement when they release their real follow-up album.
— Travis Fox { special to ink }