When Brian “Head” Welch (former Korn guitarist/newly-minted soldier of Christ) is ready to shop around for a new group, he could do worse than to get on board with The Sound of Urchin, whose members also favor dark clothing, funky haircuts and insipid, juvenile nicknames. To say that the general SOU sound and mood is lighter than Korn’s dirgey self-hatred would be a monumental understatement. Singer/lyricist/drummer Tomato’s get-right-li’l-dude salvos are alternately paranoid and optimistic, attached to countless fake yesteryear pop-rock hooks and riffs, not to mention a spread of vocal and musical moves expertly nicked from the likes of Dynamite Hack, Limp Bizkit, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sugar Ray and the Offspring. This is a great disc to spin (a) while driving around pretending you’re 18 again, (b) if it’s the first day of spring and you’re going to make up with everyone you screwed over last summer, or (c) if you’re desperately seeking to drown out the worry parade that adult life is.
This article appears in Mar 16-22, 2005.