A Simple Plan May Be The Best Plan

11/05/08 2:57pm

by Erik Leijon (CHARTattack)

Montreal pop-punkers have proven to be musical survivors

As one of the last groups standing from the pop-punk movement, Montreal quintet Simple Plan have perhaps more to lose than to gain with their self-titled third record. Since "I'm Just A Kid" first graced airwaves with teen-focused angst in 2002, Simple Plan have released two platinum-selling studio albums and can lay claim to being one of our country's most well-known musical exports.

But as many of their peers from the early 2000s can attest, fans can be fickle and even a big name like Simple Plan could fade away unceremoniously if they fail to adapt to the ever-shifting pop landscape. That's one reason why Simple Plan spent an arduous year-and-a-half perfecting their latest album — even scrapping an original set of songs to continue writing — because the same old Simple Plan just wouldn't have cut it.

"The label was telling us to get it out now," says lead singer Pierre Bouvier about the original, aborted writing sessions. "So we were writing for a while and we had enough material to make a new album, but we kind of looked at it and admitted to ourselves that it wasn't amazing. It's good, but we weren't blown away by it, so we had to decide whether to go into the studio or say ‘Fuck it' and cancel everything. That's what ended up happening."

Drummer Chuck Comeau, who was a founding member of the Montreal punk group Reset with Bouvier back in 1995, adds, "To the label's credit, they were very supportive. It was a tough decision, but the best songs came in the last stretch of writing. In the last four to five months, everything came together."

Comparing their own career trajectory to pop-punk successors Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance, Bouvier noticed those groups were stepping away from their simple beginnings, and it was necessary for Simple Plan (the record) to define the group as a lasting creative unit capable of growth.

"We've broken the ice with loops, beats and pianos," says Bouvier, "and if the next album has accordion in it, people won't be too shocked."

Growing out of necessity would have resulted in a disastrous, desperate stab at relevance, so any transition the group are making is gradual and the Simple Plan ethos — which Bouvier has previously described as angry, depressive lyrics over poppy, uplifting music — remains intrinsic to their identity. Comeau says he wants fans to recognize the Simple Plan sound, albeit this time with an unpredictable twist.

The band's desire to tread new waters conflicts with the idea of remaining faithful to their still-passionate fans who — scoff all you want — feel an intense personal connection to the five-piece. And they've earned that loyalty, too. They used feedback from polling their fans to vote to switch the album cover from a gaudy hellfire backdrop to a workmanlike black and white photo of the group.

The fans, though, weren't consulted about their change in sound, which remains entrenched in pop but also incorporates stadium rock grandiosity and hip-hop beats into the mix. The primary catalyst for this revitalization was producer Nate "Danjahandz" Hills, a Timbaland protege who previously worked with Britney Spears, T.I. and Justin Timberlake. He had little experience working with a rock group and Simple Plan, likewise, hadn't exactly spent a lot of time with hip-hop producers. This new direction, however, refocused them as songwriters.

"As songwriters, you stick to a certain method and you create a formula for yourself," says Bouvier. "So it's different to have someone like Danja come and throw something in the mix, and that's what inspires the song. We still write the song, we still write the lyrics, but it's coming from something else. We're being inspired by something we never would have thought of on our own."

The fans, still drawn to Bouvier's lyrics about teen-oriented issues (there are no plans for a Green Day-like dabbling into politics anytime soon), will likely embrace the group's incremental growth. But the addition of hitmaker Danjahandz could finally elicit a warm reaction from frosty critics who've largely ignored the group, especially in light of their status as critical pariahs when held against hipster acts like Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade who've fueled Montreal's music renaissance. Simple Plan have never been helped by rock crit words, though.

"Does it matter? No," says Bouvier. "Would it be nice? Yes.

"As a journalist, it takes guts to like Simple Plan. We're not some different, underground band. Is the quality there? In my opinion, I think this album has some amazing writing, and I think for someone to listen to it and disregard it as crap, I think it's bullshit."

"To me it means more when so many people at our shows are singing along or they tell us backstage how our songs helped them deal with situations or the crap in their lives," adds Comeau. "That feels more rewarding than having someone say it's a cool record.

"Besides, you can say whatever you want about the band and how we look in the videos, but we make great pop songs."

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Peer Pressure

Let's check in on how Simple Plan's pop-punk buddies from their early days are doing:

Blink-182 — They splintered into Angels & Airwaves and +44 and the members are rumoured to hate each other.

Sum 41 — They're still kicking, though some would argue the conscience left when guitarist Dave Baksh split to create Brown Brigade.

Good Charlotte — They got to play on Tila Tequila's New Year's Eve special last year. That's good, right?

Green Day — They want to be more like U2 than NOFX these days.

The Offspring — Apparently they're working on their eighth album. Who thought they'd end up being the flag-bearers?

The following feature is from the March 2008 issue of Chart Magazine. To purchase the issue, head on over to the Chart Shop.