The first song off the album, "Suggestion," has a legendary punk rock feel of Lucky by Fifteen. The five-track record morphs with each song to more skate punk and less emo reminiscence of Prescott’s past emo-phenom Bueno.
Loss for Words ironically causes me a slight case of a loss for words. The record is about 60/40. That means I like three of the songs a lot.
I really want to like No Gimmick more than I actually like No Gimmick, but there’s something missing. I would love to see No Gimmick open for a group like NOFX, but they lack the headlining qualities that I can truly sink my teeth in and let loose.
There are times that Loss for Words has a slightly immature twist to their songs. It reminds the listener of Sum 41. There is nothing outwardly wrong with that, but I have several years of built up rebellious punk rock contempt. The dynamic does not provide me the honest type of punk catharsis that I seek out. The song “Never Mind Me” leaves me completely uninspired.
However, by the fourth track “One of the Carried” I come back around. This song is a truly powerful and emotional outlet only found in a nicely executed punk song. While “Never Mind Me” may lack in inspiration, “One of the Carried” makes up with passion and no gimmicks.
Catch No Gimmick live at the Hollywood Alley in Mesa on June 2nd.
