Punk rock is one genre that has constantly changed and evolved since the genre first burst onto the music scene over thirty years ago. Even though not every punk band sounds like they are channelling their inner Sex Pistols, it doesn’t necessarily make them any less punk rock. Take Tarek Kasmi as an example: he uses more than three chords in his songs, but has much of the same insolent attitude that made punk rock stand aside from other genres. On his first EP, The New Century, Kasmi takes a scathing look at the world of corporations and rampant consumerism, and hopes to spark some change in the world.
Kasmi’s biography is short and sweet. He hopes to spark revolution and to turn the tide against the powers that be through one of the most powerful tools available in this world- music. He’s not far off. The power of music has opened the eyes and ears of many, and while one song might not change the entire world in one shot, it might wake some people out of their consumerist comas and decide to do something more valuable with their lives.
Channeling his inner New Found Glory, Kasmi crafts an album that sounds like it should be about ex-girlfriends and parties, but in reality has nothing to do with either. The first track, “We’re Not Sorry” sounds like the perfect punk rock anthem, but is deceptive. Lurking beneath the catchy choruses and solid guitar work is the sentiment that is best explained in Kasmi’s own words: “I won’t be run by corporations.”
The second track, “Unchained” has a much darker feel to it, which stops the album from sounding repetitive and stops it from being another throwaway pop album. The track is about fighting back- and Kasmi has appropriately moved away from bubblegum punk to convey this.
From there, the EP moves on to a sentimental acoustic track, followed by more pop punk, and ends with another darker track. There appears to be a pattern here- the album can’t be too poppy, but can’t be too downbeat either. Kasmi appears to be attempting to blend in pop punk and post-hardcore, and coming off with odd results. While the louder tracks do convey their intended anger perfectly, the poppier tracks sound slightly out of place. After all, New Found Glory and Blink 182 never tried to incite a revolution with pop punk. Over the years, pop has become a genre so devoid of seriousness that instilling such a message doesn’t quite fit.
Kasmi does succeed in crafting lyrics to make the listener think. Lines such as “No longer will we stand for your organized disorder” feel more profound than what is found in most pop punk now. In all, The New Century is a good effort on Kasmi’s part to incite a revolution, but choosing pop punk to convey this message makes for a very odd combination that simply does not quite get the message across. The message comes across much better on the tracks “Unchained” and “The New Century,” where the idea of fighting globalization and consumerism aren’t hidden behind a genre so suited to dissecting relationships.
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