Returning from a two-year hiatus, Hot Water Music’s latest effort, “The New What Next”, doesn’t exactly thrill. The disc is a far cry from their earlier work, which included such classic, innovative albums as their 1999 release “No Division” and 1997’s “Fuel For The Hate Game”, which, rightfully so, have become staples in any punk rock fan’s album collection. “The New What Next”, however, probably only disappoints those that have been fans of the band prior to their 2002 release “Caution”. That disc was weak as well, but it seemed as though the band had just missed a step, and that “The New What Next” would make up lost time for the areas where “Caution” had miserably failed. Wrong.

With this album, it seems as though now, Hot Water Music has sadly lost for good the raw style and energy they were barely clinging to on “Caution”. Their distinct sound, composed of power chords with a jazz rhythm section, when teamed with the vocals of co-singers Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard, made Hot Water Music sound unlike any band in the industry. On “The New What Next”, though, they seem to have foolishly departed from that style and appear to instead be diving head first into overly produced, redundant tracks that sound more like popular generic emo/screamo bands that the music industry is awash with as of late.

Disappointingly, the trademark vocals are also missing, and where howls and gut-wrenching screams would have been, a more mellow “singing” has replaced them; however, their efforts are in vain due to Wollard and Ragan’s inability to produce this type of vocal. If the vocals alone had remained true to Hot Water Music’s original style, this disc would have definitely been more of a musical success, but the album’s failure cannot be blamed solely on the vocalists.

It is not to say though, that the album is completely devoid of quality music. Standout tracks include “Poison,” “Giver” and “My Little Monkey Wrench” give longtime fans the closest taste of Hot Water Music’s earlier work. The two superior songs of the CD, “All Heads Down” and “End of the Line” are available to listen to on the group’s website, www.hotwatermusic.com. With a headlining tour set to begin this fall, Hot Water Music is going to have to work pretty hard to make sure their fan base doesn’t cool off.

-Madeline Kerins