Pepper

Stitches EP

Brad Nowell couldn’t have known what he was starting. Filled with a desire for both social commentary and substance abuse, he wrote punk-infused, reggae-inspired ska songs with enough pop-radio appeal to make him a star (albeit belatedly). In his wake, we have a pale imitation in Pepper. On the Stitches EP, the band attempt to get introspective with three-quarters of the material. Then it’s all thrown out the window for “Drunk Girl,” a song that celebrates intercourse with the inebriated. While that song’s content is gag-worthy, the rest of the album’s lazy upstroke chord progressions make for a good grown-up lullaby. Most bad albums have one or two redeeming aspects; Pepper’s new EP does not. The Sublime worship has gone on long enough, boys. It’s time to figure out your own thing.

LAW http://www.law-records.com

“Wake Up”