It’s easy to forget that once upon a time, Good Charlotte were one of the biggest pop-punk bands. However, ‘The Young and the Hopeless’ was released over 20 years ago. In that time, Joel Madden (vocals) and Benji Madden (guitar, vocals), alongside Paul Thomas (bass), Billy Martin (guitar, keyboards), have expanded to dance-rock, emo-pop, and alt-rock. Meanwhile, the Madden twins have built some industry credibility through their artist management, publishing, and production company, MDDN.
In the present day, it’s been seven years since we had a new Good Charlotte record. Admittedly, unless you’re a diehard fan, you’ve not been yearning for one. Their eighth album, ‘Motel Du Cap,’ was spurred on by the quartet playing a private gig for a friend’s wedding in Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc in the south of France in 2023. The combination of being reinvigorated to play together again, along with a lack of expectation, ‘Motel Du Cap’ is set up as Good Charlotte returning to their roots.
Lead single, ‘Rejects’, along with ‘Stepper’, swell with familiarity, providing an accessible double dose of pop-rock. ‘Mean’ and ‘Vertigo’ (featuring rapper Petti Hendrix) also help fill the energetic pop-punk quota later on. Yet, with a habit of jumping between genres, ‘Motel Du Cap’ does just that. One moment you’re dipping into country with ‘Deserve You’ (featuring Luke Borchelt), the throwaway hip-hop-infusion on ‘Life is Great’ (featuring Wiz Khalifa) or ‘Bodies’ pulsating synth-rock. While fellow Maryland native Zeph come provides one of the record’s most impressionable cameos on the energetic (but bittersweet) ‘Pink Guitar’.
Introspection weighs heavily throughout, and often takes shape in the form of ballads. ‘The Dress Rehearsal’ aims to pull off the rising, grandiose power ballad, albeit one with sickly results. Thankfully, ‘Castle in the Sand’ fares better. It’s a sweeping, heartstring-tugging moment that allows Joel Madden to flourish with sincerity. ‘I Don’t Work Here Anymore’ anchors down on the reflective tone. Placing Madden back in Maryland during the band’s early days, working a dead-end job, and giving it up to follow his dream. Meanwhile, ‘GC Forever’ provides a sense of finality. Besides its title, sweeping strings, retrospective soundbites, and plucky acoustics are joined by persevering words of “never say never”. Ultimately, it hits home on the introspective mentality with admirable execution.
It’s also worth mentioning that Jordan Fish and Zakk Cervini (A Day to Remember, Waterparks, Coheed and Cambria) lend a hand on writing and production. It considerably gives ‘Motel Du Cap’ a hint of relevancy. In turn, it allows the record not to completely lean into nostalgia, at least musically. Furthermore, it may not put Good Charlotte back on the pop-punk perch, but ‘Motel Du Cap’ has enough hooks and contemplative cuts to return to.
‘Motel Du Cap’ by Good Charlotte is out now on Atlantic Records.
Find Good Charlotte on: Facebook | X (Formerly Twitter) | Instagram | TikTok | Spotify | Apple Music | Website
