Goo Goo Dolls ‘Summer Anthem’ EP review by Graham Finney.
Thanks to their huge 90s hit “Iris”, everybody and their mother knows the name Goo Goo Dolls. The 1998 hit spiralled the New York rock band into the mainstream, where they have stayed ever since. Now in their thirty-ninth year, the group’s momentum shows no signs of slowing down, with the band currently weaving their way across the States on another sold-out arena tour. Now, the pair of John Rzeznik and Robby Takac have found time during the tour to release this new seven-track EP, another solid addition to their multi-million unit-selling catalogue.
Featuring seven new tracks, including the recently-released “Nothing Lasts Forever”, ‘Summer Anthem’ drops as we head into the final few weeks of the Summer, but doesn’t feel like the kind of thing you would put on to wile away the remaining few evenings of the Summer. It does, however, feel like prime Goo Goo Dolls material. A band who have rarely strayed from their winning formula of polished pop-rock, Rzenznik and Takac again prove themselves to be than accomplished songwriters highlighted as ‘Summer Anthem’ opens with “Ocean”, a pulsating pop rocker with a wealth of hooks to pull you in.
A tone-setter for the rest of this mini-album, “Ocean” is followed by the debut single from the release, “Nothing Lasts Forever”. Another one of those slices of polished, built-for-arenas and mainstream radio, “Nothing Lasts Forever” follows a well-trodden path for the band without ever sounding dated or formulaic.
“Slightly Broken” heads down a lyrically emotional path with the Goo Goo Dolls slowing the tempo down without forfeiting a hook that drags you back time and time again. “Misery” follows a similar pattern, whereas “Such A Mystery” takes you right back to a time when rock bands were dominating the mainstream radio and pop charts with songs like this. Again, the modern twist the pair put on the track gives it that unmistakable Goo Goo Dolls feel.
“Run All Night” is the ‘Summer Anthem’ heartstring-tugging pop ballad. Now, we know it’s a formula which works for the Goo Goo Dolls, but what that sadly means is that, even when the band repeat the formula as they do on “Run All Night”, regardless of the quality of the song, you can feel it fading into the shadow of the megahit. ‘Summer Anthems’ closes with the soaring “Not Goodbye (Close My Eyes)”, a huge-sounding anthem from the band and one that wraps this seven-track gift from the band perfectly as it builds up to its massive finale.
‘Summer Anthem’ drops as the band rides the crest of a popularity wave across North America. Of course, while Goo Goo Dolls might not have reached a peak as high as their heyday, they still hold a special place in the hearts of the legions of fans, and these seven tracks provide the perfect soundtrack to those lucky enough to be heading out to the Summer shows.
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