CD of The Week

The Linda Lindas - No Obligation (Epitaph)

The first 12 years in one’s life are where the most learning, brain development, and impressionability occur. All four members of The Linda Lindas have recently reached the other side of that window, but that was not the case when they hit the viral airwaves in 2021 with their library performance of “Racist, Sexist Boy.” Since then, they have been fast-tracked by fans, supporters, and the music industry to be a superstar pop-punk band. In their short history, they’ve already shared bills with Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Paramore, Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day, Bikini Kill, Best Coast, and The Rolling Stones. One can only imagine how many people have given the young impressionable members their wizened (unsolicited) “sage” advice. Well, The Linda Lindas are fed up with people deciding their future, and it shines through as an arcing theme on No Obligation, the band’s sophomore release.

The record drives the point home right away with the pissed-off title/opening track “No Obligation.” Singing “I don’t got no obligation / Just brush off all expectation” in the chorus. It is their generation’s version of Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation.” That same ferocity delivers a sarcastic “You're only what they decide you to be” commentary with the biting, circle-pit-inducing “Excuse Me.” And they put their collective foot down in the power-pop/60’s harmonizing girl band mash-up “Don’t Think,” exclaiming “everybody's never gonna be a thing like me.” In the album’s press release, they proclaimed, “We don’t make music out of obligation— we make music out of love.” They know their own future and have the means to guide it.

And that goal seems to be delivering meaningful songs in a wholesome, sincere, catchy pop-punk universe of their own creation. “Resolution/Revolution” powers through with a driving verse and Sleater-Kinney-esque chorus, declaring actions are more powerful than words. Delivered in a Blondie - “Call Me” package, “Lose Yourself” feels politically motivated, begging for clarity and transparency from those whose murky messages hide the truth.

Still, it is important to remember just how young The Linda Lindas are. On their reflective song, “Nothing Would Change,” a Buzzcocks-worthy intro folds into a chugging Paramore verse, framing their journey from childhood in a schoolyard melody recalling Duck Duck Goose, Simon Says and running for fun. “Once Upon a Time” brings the fairytale line to reality as the band looks back at the expectations that surrounded their growth. Here they again explore having to measure up, singing “I'm trying to see how they see me / I'm trying to see what they like.”

The album came out slowly, as half of it was released as singles over a year and a half. That process was the only way they could do it; as they all contribute musically and lyrically, the intense writing sessions were sporadic around their middle and high school schedules and touring. They were still able to add new dimensions to their sound. “All In My Head” starts off lighter and has a mature radio-friendly sound that is different than the majority of their work. And although they had Spanish songs on Growing Up, “Yo Me Estreso” has a mariachi/polka rhythm for the first time and utilizes the talents of “Weird” Al Yankovic on accordion. Which is really fitting: “Weird” Al was the gateway artist for many kids of my generation to get into music, and now, The Linda Lindas are the perfect band in image, message, and sound to make that connection with a whole new generation who want to express themselves on their own terms.

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Review by Shepard Ritzen