Fat Wreck Chords – Release Date: 5/27/14

The first Masked Intruder album sent shockwaves through the world of punk rock. Their raw talent, mystique and the fact that they seemed to appear overnight were all integral factors in the band’s initial momentum. In the last couple of years, they’ve toured around the world and after the dust settled a bit, it raised the question: what’s Masked Intruder’s next move? With Fat Wreck scooping them up, the bar was raised. On M.I., they’ve strayed slightly from their criminal and hijinks-heavy themes, and focus more on love. They’ve tweaked song structures a bit, incorporating more vocal harmonies, doo-wop influences and most impressively – a song almost completely made up of vocals. They’ve also re-recorded two existing songs, “I Fought the Law,” from their demo and “Hey Girl,” from their split with The Turkletons. M.I. is a perfect album for music fans, because it doesn’t conform to the standard three-chord formula most pop punk sticks to, but they are maintaining their sound. The Ramones-core fanbase gets short, fast songs like “Hey Girl” and “The Most Beautiful Girl.” Heart-wrenching songs like “Stars” display raw desire, honesty and humility. The vocals are sincere and pitch-perfect. “Almost Like We’re Already In Love,” Masked Intruder’s impressive vocal display, is sheer magnificence. Their barbershop quartet-style of singing is guided only with shakers and finger snaps. The lyrics paint a picture of yearning, and do it in a way that sounds just plain pretty. Think of it as an evolved version of the intro to “Wish You Were Mine,” from their first album. M.I. is a must, as it’s one of the best albums that’s been released this year.

– Jason Duarte