The Reason

Following a platinum-selling debut that spawned no less than three radio hits, the bizarrely named and meticulously groomed Californian pop-rockers Hoobastank return with their second offering, The Reason. Singer Doug Robb claims, “The heavier songs are heavier and the softer songs became softer”. This is a predictable analogy of a very predictable record. Songs like ‘Just One’ and ‘Same Direction’ try to travel down the heavy,hard riffing route but weak lyrics and a flaccid guitar sound drag them to the middle of the road, a place where Hoobastank’s average sound seems destined to remain.
They’ve been compared to Incubus in terms of looks and sound but Hoobastank lack the invention and diverse sound of their Californian counterparts.
Angry statements about religion, songs with names like ‘Out Of Control’ and other stock pop-rock clichés will probably appease Hoobastank’s niche market of impressionable teenagers, but it won’t turn many heads elsewhere.