As the world continues to be polarised by war and strife and the global temperature reaches boiling point, it does feel as if the planet is teetering on the edge of destruction. What we need now more than ever is some pop-punk to lift the spirits and even out the global karma a little and that’s exactly what Bearings do on their latest album The Best Part About Being Human. Originally released in August 2023, the album gets the deluxe treatment and is bolstered by three new tracks, along with three cuts reimagined acoustically, proving that pop-punk is indeed The Best Part About Being Human.

When Bearings dropped The Best Part About Being Human it was the perfect summation on the human condition; it succinctly encapsulated the highs and lows of being alive, the joy and the sorrow, the triumph and tragedy, and the three new tracks (affixed to the front of the album) only add to the human experience. ‘Stormy Weather’ is a bittersweet anthem and it makes the perfect opener. A fist-in-the-air, mosh pit ready anthem, it takes a beeline to your cranium, and once inside will rattle around for the rest of the day. Likewise, the following ‘If I’m Being Honest’ has a strange kind of familiarity; although it’s fresh and exciting, you feel as if this song has been a constant companion. These three songs (along with the acoustic tracks) would have made a neat EP, yet they work equally well here and the new songs make a nice preamble into the album and add an air of anticipation as we reach opener proper, ‘Scenery’.

As the new songs add another slant to the beginning of the album, the acoustic songs put the album’s conclusion in a new context. On a buoyant album that sparkles and fizzes, these interpretations bring a real sense of closure. However, they are not acoustic in the purest sense, yet they are markedly different and you will find ‘Scenery’ acting in new ways. What these acoustic renditions evidence is a plasticity, songs that can be shaped in a myriad of forms, and you feel that if the guys ever did an Unplugged type of event, it’d be highly entertaining.

With these six extra tracks, The Best Part About Being Human feels like a whole new album and comes highly recommended.

• The Best Part About Being Human (Deluxe) is released via Pure Noise Records on 20th September 2024.

Track List:

1. Stormy Weather (new song)
2. If I’m Being Honest (new song)
3. Make Your Way Back To Me (new song)
4. Scenery
5. Don’t Wanna Forget About It
6. Gone So Gone
7. Go Long
8. Ocean Dream
9. Howie, You’re A Freak
10. Slip
11. Live Forever Never Die
12. I Want To Heal
13. Human
14. Scenery (Acoustic)
15. Gone So Gone (Acoustic)
16. Slip (Acoustic)