Chasing Hamburg

Album Review

Upon hearing the sophomore full-length by the Polar Bear Club, 2009's Chasing Hamburg, it's pretty darn hard to declare whether the group is a hardcore, punk, or emo band, the reason being that this New York-based group manages to incorporate elements from all three rock styles — hollered vocals, sticky sweet melodies, explosive and clashing riffs/beats, etc. The result is an approach that seems custom-made for widespread acceptance by the Warped Tour crowd, specifically such ditties as the hardcore/punk-ish "See the Wind," and the more emo/alternative-tinged "Boxes" and "Song to Persona." It's becoming increasingly difficult in the early 21st century to determine pure hardcore bands, or those that base their sound on hardcore but also embrace emo melodicism. As evidenced by Chasing Hamburg, the Polar Bear Club certainly fit into the latter category.