The Menzingers have done it again. 2010’s Chamberlain Waits was unreal and after signing to Epitaph, you better believe expectations were high for their follow up. There was a risk that these Pennsylvania boys would play it safe and release another Chamberlain Waits, but instead they took what made that album great, reevaluated their strengths, and came out with On The Impossible Past. Slowing things down on a few tracks, their impressive lyrics and storytelling abilities shine through on “Gates,” “Ava House,” and “Freedom Bridge.” The punk roots did not escape the songwriting entirely as album opener “Good Things” demonstrates. On The Impossible Past finds the band pushing themselves in a different direction without sacrificing their roots, allowing their fans to grow with them while picking up new ones along the way. A nice rock record for the summer as it is thought provoking while still remaining fun. The harmonies and songwriting are all theirs and it seems to me that the band is heading the way of Gaslight Anthem by letting their singing chops and songwriting abilities take a more prominent role over their punk rock base. In “The Obituaries” the lyrics claim “I will fuck this up, I fucking know it” – well, they fucking didn’t fuck up here. (Epitaph, epitaph.com) Scott Wolfe