Hoobastank

Push Pull

Classy funk rock for the modern age. How do you classify Hoobastank? They’re been called (wrongly) post-grunge and nu metal, when what they do is funk rock with a respect for melody. And this, their sixth album, continues the momentum.

Songs like More Beautiful and Don’t Look Away emphasise the band’s strengths, being loaded with understated musicianship, allowing Doug Robb’s vocals to soar through. Although they are able to vary their timbre from a ballad (Head Over Heels) to a strut (True Believer) with ease, Hoobastank don’t have the stadium personality of the Red Hot Chili Peppers nor the quirky edge of Faith No More. What they do is to calmly construct concise, memorable tunes. And that’s enough.