A lot of pop-punk is fairly vacuous stuff. The Vandals, mostly, don’t buck the trend.
Still, I prefer them to wishy washy 00s stuff for their harder, faster, more edgy presentation. It’s more punk than pop, rooted in the ‘melodic hardcore’ of the 80s – but still catchy as a Blink-182 or Green Day hit.
Lyrically, “An Idea For A Movie” is sort of nonsense, but good harmless stuff. They do their job well, giving the song a sing-along quality. It’s knowingly cynical, but in a vaguely feel good way.
The guitar is a different story. It hits powerfully and sharply from the get-go, blazing a technicolour trail throughout the track’s two minute runtime.
Released on Hitler Bad, Vandals Good in 1996 and blasted out of suburban Californian teenagers bedrooms ever since…