Unwritten Law returns from a long hiatus with a new album, Swan.  It’s always funny to me when I stumble upon a new band only to learn they’ve been around for a couple of decades and put out a handful or more albums.  And while I’m not familiar at all with their earlier work, Swan’s mixture of punk and rock with pop hooks makes for a great album.

Of course, with Unwritten Law’s turbulent history and band members who have come and gone, the album is filled with imagery of putting the past behind you, starting over and moving on.  And while all the songs have their moments and are, on their own and as an album, good, I find myself returning to what I consider two standouts on the disc.

The first is “Sing” which is an acoustic ballad.  The slow tune almost seems out of place on Swan, and that is might find better company on the album of some emo band, and yet there is an earnestness to the lyrics that aren’t quite as mopey and sappy as love songs by other bands.  The song makes me want to make a mix tape and give it to a girl in the late 80s or early 90s, back when people still had tape decks and made mix tapes.

The second is “Chicken (Ready To Go)”, a rap-rock song featuring Del the Funky Homosapien.  Where as there are a number of tracks on Swan that sound like they were written to be played at a concert or festival, this one feels like it was written to be played at a house party, either by a live band or from the stereo.  A song that is here to inform you that your party is about to be cranked up a notch.

I’m certain that fans from back in the day when they were more skate-punk than pop will probably hate this album and call them sellouts looking to make a buck, but with the lineup changes, perhaps where they are now is where they should be.  To me, a new fan, and after listening to this album I am most definitely a fan, Swan is full of honest songs from a band that has struggled and come through it with a sense of solidarity and purpose.  Now that I’ve found them, I look forward to more from Unwritten Law.