Bowling For Soup - Sorry For Partyin' Review

Posted by Alistair McGeorge on 10.18.2009

Three years after the release of their last studio album, Bowling For Soup return with their tenth album, Sorry For Partyin’. Is the norm becoming boring and repetitive, or are BFS still one of the best at what they do? Check inside to find out.

I’ve been into Bowling For Soup for the last 6 or 7 years, and I’ve been very excited about their next album for a while now. Just to take the opportunity to publicize my latest column, I provided A Lesson In… Bowling For Soup, which some of you might be interesting in reading.

Anyway, like I said, I’m a big fan of the band, and after hearing the first single “My Wena”, I was suddenly very excited for the new album. Would my expectations be met, or would the band’s first album in three years be a big disappointment? Well, let’s see…



1. A Really Cool Dance Song
2. No Hablo Inglés
3. My Wena
4. Only Young
5. I Don’t Wish You Were Dead Anymore
6. BFFF
7. Me With No You
8. Hooray For Beer
9. America (Wake Up Amy) (Featuring Scott Reynolds and Parry Gripp)
10. If Only
11. I Gotchoo
12. Love Goes Boom
13. I Can’t Stand L.A. (Featuring Brave Combo)

Hidden Track

14. Belgium Polka (Featuring Brave Combo)

Bowling For Soup – Sorry For Partyin’

From the opening 14 seconds of the first track, it seems like it could be more of the same. By the time you hear the chorus, you’ll be laughing out loud and remembering that rock music really can be fun again. “This song sounds like a dance song/cos dance songs are cool now/So get up and shake what your momma gave ya”... I can’t fault it. I could spend a few sentences just listing the lines in this song that made me laugh, but I can’t do it justice. Just have a listen for yourselves…



“No Hablo Inglés” is another typical BFS song, with a catchy riff, a repeated title lyric that begs to be sang along to and lyrics that anyone can relate to. It’s not one of the strongest tracks on the album, but it’s been released as a single and could definitely be the big hit from this album.

For people wondering if Bowling For Soup have matured over the last few years and become a bit more mature…based on this track, the simple answer’s no. But, when a band can write a great, catchy 3-and-a-half-minute tune about using a foreign language to get out of answering questions like “Have you brushed your teeth”” and “Do you want to buy some girl scout cookies?”, it’s hard not to enjoy the infections pop-punk happiness it results in.

The next song was also the lead single from the album, and it’s an example of why Bowling For Soup are so popular. “My Wena” may be incredibly juvenile and full of innuendo, but if you don’t laugh at least once whilst listening, then you really need to lighten up. It’s a fairly generic pop-punk track, but the lyrics are where it really shines. A song about Jaret Reddick’s penis in the disguise of a love song, it’s the lines like “Her skin is so soft/I can’t keep my hands off/Ever since the day I found her” that show that, sure, it’s not the most intelligent of metaphors, but damn it makes for a catchy song.

If you go into this expecting a more mature side to Bowling For Soup, then really you’ll be disappointed. However, if you’re wanting a reminder of why BFS are the kings of pop-punk, look no further than this album and tracks like “BFFF” and “Hooray For Beer”. I’d forgotten it over the last few years, but this album reminded me: BFS really are one of the happiest, most up-beat bands around today, and at the moment I think we all need that band. “Hooray For Beer” absolutely can’t fail to lift someone’s spirits. Just try to listen to this and not feel just a little bit better about yourself and your life…



The stand-out track, if I had to pick just one, is “American (Wake Up Amy)”. The drum and bass (no, not that drum and bass) pop-punk verses are very reminiscent of earlier BFS hits like “Punk Rock 101”, and the pre-chorus of “She don’t give a woop woop” just adds to the fun. This could be their next big hit, should they decide to release it as the single.

Overall, the band haven’t really progressed a lot over the last few years, it has to be said. It’s still the same fairly simple riffs and drum beats, with melodies that don’t expand much past catchy hooks. Honestly though, it doesn’t matter. Bowling For Soup still write some of the best pop-punk songs around, and the band have now notched up ten albums using that same formula. To some people, it might be getting old, but they do it better than ever.

In the times we’re in, some people just need something fun and care-free to take our mind off everything and let us enjoy life. After spending the last two weeks with this album on repeat, Bowling For Soup , once again, are that band, and Sorry For Partyin’ is most definitely that album.

The 411: I realize many people will see the repetitive nature of Bowling For Soup’s music as a reason to slate everything they do and call for change. I get the feeling that some of these people are the same ones who complain when bands like Green Day try to be innovative, claiming they’ve “sold out”. BFS have stuck to their guns for ten albums now, and they still do it better than anyone. It’s more of the same, but when “the same” is this damn great, you can’t really fault it.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]