Simple Plan: Harder Than It Looks

May 6, 2022 Josh Custer

Over the last 20 years, Simple Plan has reached millions of fans around the world and they continue to do so with each new release. Now with the release of their 6th studio album Harder Than It Looks. This album is truly a testament to the resilience, and passion of the band to continue to put out songs that are not only fun to listen to but impactful and have deeper meaning than the surface level.

Kicking off the album with Wake Me Up (When This Nightmare’s Over) the band make a powerful statement. Not only is the song everything that we have come to expect from the mature side Simple Plan in terms of energy, and sonic space but the band has also made it a point to partner with Ukrainian director Jensen Noen as well as donating all money received from YouTube views on the video to UNICEF Ukraine Emergency Appeal.

Ruin My Life featuring Deryck Whibley of Sum41 comes up next, and if you are an “elder emo” this is one of those moments we always wanted. Sonically the track feels like the debut efforts of the band. There is a certain amount of nostalgia that comes along with this track, but it doesn’t feel like a forced attempt to appeal to the older fanbase.

The Antidote and A Million Pictures Of You are the epitome of pop punk love songs. The soundscape of the 2 songs are different but the message is really the same. Speaking of the person that came into your life and “fixed” you, then the build up of the realization that this person is an anchor point in your life that you don’t want to lose hold of, and don’t want to drift away to just memories.

Next up is, Anxiety. This isn’t the first time the band has tackled mental health topics in various manners. This track in particular speaks of the feelings you go through when you feel like people are holding certain expectations over you, and how your mind begins to make up situations, and you begin to wish that you could be someone else so that you wouldn’t have to be held to the expectations.

Kicking the energy back into overdrive is Congratulations. This track is definitely a sleeper on the album as at first glance you think that it is going to be this kind of sincere positive song, but once you listen and take in the lyrics you find the sarcastic underlying message.

Iconic comes up next and to say that it is a power anthem would be an understatement. The song is truly about persevering and shutting down people that tell you that you can’t do something, that you won’t amount to anything.

Best Day of My Life is another nostalgia feeling song but another track that is also pleading to listeners to realize that they need to stop comparing themselves to others and take in what they have. Sonically this track is sure to get people moving and chanting along.

Another track focusing on the power of a significant other is Slow Motion. The song sings about the feeling we get when we are around someone that makes everything else disappear. The feeling when they walk in the room and everything else drifts away and time slows down.

The closing track is perhaps one of the most powerful songs that the band has put out. Two tells the story of a child of divorce. The feelings that go through their heads, blaming themselves for what went wrong, the feeling of wanting things to go back to how they were. This track is going to hit a lot of people in the face and heart.

If you have ever been a fan of Simple Plan this is an album that you have to check out. If you are of the younger generation and are thinking about checking out the album because “everyone seems so excited about this” then I would say do it, but do it the right way and that is to listen to it from start to finish in order to get the full experience of the album.

In addition to the new album, Simple Plan recently announced their two part Blame Canada North American co-headline tour with Sum 41. Both bands will be celebrating their debut records, with Simple Plan performing No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls and Sum 41 performing All Killer, No Filler.

Harder Than It Looks Tracklist:

1. Wake Me Up (When This Nightmare’s Over)

2. Ruin My Life (feat. Deryck Whibley)

3. The Antidote

4. A Million Pictures Of You

5. Anxiety

6. Congratulations

7. Iconic

8. Best Day Of My Life

9. Slow Motion

10. Two

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