The Iconic and Explosive Vancouver Rock duo Japandroids are releasing their final album Fate And Alcohol on October 18th. On Fate and Alcohol, Dave Prowse and Brian King have honed in on their unstoppable artistic chemistry while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of what could be a Japandroid’s song. This classy approach to a final album that is much more grandiose than your average Victory Lap record.

The album opens with Eye Contact High, A uniquely energetic track with pummeling drumming from Dave Prowse and Brian King’s Soaring’s vocal performances. The song is over quickly with its short run time of two minutes and twenty seconds and quickly transitions into the good time Rock N Roll track D&T which delivers all the retrospective late-night storytelling from Brian King you could ever want with a high energy major chord progression backing the song.

The Third Track Alice is a sleazy replacements-esque track that would scratch the itch for fans but is definitely nothing too far out of the Japandroids Nische. Chicago has a great energy and is one of the most interesting and anthemic tracks off the new record. The band has announced there will be no live dates to follow the release of Fate and Alcohol, Which is, on one hand, a classy and untrendy move. It is also sad, as I would love to hear tracks like Chicago live.

The Next ripper off the album is the introspective and mature Upon Sober Reflection. This song continues the themes and sonic similarities of the rest of the energy but with a slightly different instrumental approach. The next three tracks, Fugitive Summer, A Gaslight Anthem, and Positively 34th Street, feel like an electric run of songs for Japandroids. The mood only brightens throughout the three songs as Brian King and Dave Prowse add more and more elements of Grander Production. The final two tracks, One Without the Other and All Bets Are Off, finish off the album in a way that is so satisfying that it will be sure to persuade the listener that the legacy they have created has come to an end. Fate And Alcohol is a refreshing take on a band’s final album, and it feels like some of the band’s strongest material yet.

Order Fate and Alcohol by Japandroids HERE