A Hangover You Do Deserve
Bowling for Soup’s seventh album promises nothing more than a good laugh
If you enjoy songs about 1980s icons, girls, and partying with friends, then Bowling for Soup’s latest release A Hangover you Don’t Deserve is right up your alley. Fresh off the Warped Tour, this goofy punk-pop quartet is back doing what they do best, making us laugh.

Hailing from Texas, the group formed in 1994 when guitarist Chris Burney and bassist Erik Chandler teamed up to play in local coffee shops. Soon after, they met up with singer/guitarist Jaret Reddick and drummer Gary Wiseman, who also played in local bands. At the time, Chris, Erik and Jaret were attending Midwestern State University and did not expect the band to be anything other than a fun hobby. Bowling for Soup quickly became more popular in the area because, simply put, these guys love to party. After releasing two albums in their hometown of Wichita Falls, BFS decided it was time to show their music to the world… or at least the world outside of Wichita Falls. Their third album Rock on Honorable Ones sold 10,000 copies and their fourth album Tell me when to Woah spawned local radio attention.

They quickly caught the eye of major record label Jive and their next two albums Let’s do it for Johnny and Drunk Enough to Dance sold 300,000 copies. The band then joined fellow punk-pop band Blink 182 on tour and had a brief appearance in Crossroads staring Britney Spears. Things couldn’t have been going any better for BFS. Or could they?

In 2003 Bowling for Soup’s hit song ‘Girl all the Bad Guys Want’ climbed up the music charts with a likable melody and a hilarious music video that poked fun at Nu-Metal bands Limp Bizkit, Staind and Slipknot. The video soon earned a Grammy nomination for Best Performance by a Band or Duo. Sadly, they lost, but the recognition was enough to award them with plenty of help on their latest release.

On A Hangover you Don’t Deserve BFS worked with Fastball, Nerf Herder, Sugar Ray, the Nixons and SR-71 as well as long-time producer Butch Walker. Although the central lyrical theme revolves around 1980s icons, old school heavy metal, meeting girls, and having a good time with friends, the band has at least matured musically.

The opening song ‘Almost’ speaks of failed love, “I almost had you/ but I guess that doesn’t cut it” mixed with silly rhymes, “I almost held up a grocery store/ where I almost did five/ and then seven more.” One of the more serious songs on the album, ‘Sad Sad Situation’ is an anthem for anyone who has ever been taken advantage of. It’s easy to relate to a chorus that screams, “turn me off/ I’ve had enough… maybe you should stay away.” ‘Friends O Mine’ is Reddick’s acoustic appreciation of his band mates. The finishing song on the album shows to be an earnest, heartfelt, yet still lighthearted dedication to his college friends.

The most brilliant and catchy song, as well as the album’s first single, is the upbeat ‘1985.’ Singing about a woman still stuck in the past, ‘1985’ brings back everything we miss most about the 1980s. From Blondie to Wham and from Van Halen to Madonna, ‘1985’ just makes the listener want to take their Transformers, hairspray and legwarmers out of storage and walk like an Egyptian.

Bowling for Soup’s A Hangover you Don’t Deserve is definitely worth buying. It’s the first album in a while that’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face. From the first song to the last, this 17 track album is everything you have come to love about BFS.