Sloan — Action Pact

Sloan’s seventh full-length studio album, Action Pact is true to its title in the same way that a big summer blockbuster has a healthy abundance of swearing, explosions and bodies flying through the air. Then, as the credits roll, all you’re left with is buttered knuckles at the bottom of your popcorn bag, a sad sort of emptiness and the beginnings of a stomach ache. If the goal was to produce a simple, straight-ahead rocker, then Sloan have succeeded.

Action Pact is good fun, stacked strong with stick-it-to-ya tunes. Short and sweet, the songs spin around catchy choruses; witty verses are largely absent. The record opens with a flourish in "GimmeThat," first single "The Rest Of My Life" is an oddly patriotic Everyman anthem with a beautiful chorus and "Ready For You" is an unmistakable page from AC/DC’s catalogue. When the lights go up, memories of something spectacular will linger, but for a truly satisfying experience, go back to the classics, ‘cause this, sadly, ain’t one.

Get it from