4 out of 5

Label: self-released

Produced by: Dan Potthast

Here and there in the music world, we’ve had creative folks who’ve proven capable of churning out song after song, chord progression after chord progression, and manage to make it sound kinda new and fresh for years and decades on end. This is slightly different from the types who’ve been working the field for that same amount of time and still produce new jams; equally impressive, but different: the “churn” group seem to work with a limited palette – tunes that draw from a similar source and sound, individually proving how we can have, say, a million punk bands playing three chords who all might offer a bit of a different experience.

An relatively unsung hero of this type is Dan Potthast, already an unsung hero of a particular scene – the ska / punk scene of the 90s – who exploded his band’s sound with keen pop and rock sensibilities, and then carried that over into some fun and scrappy solo discs. Years passed, and Dan sifted through other bands and rearrangements of a solo career, proving himself to be one of these survivor types, with his time in the industry leading to a cynically sweet persona, erring toward an acoustic sound, but still down with rocking out.

Cars For Sale is a peak entry in that long-running catalogue, finding a balance between some of his sillier / odder narratives, that sweetness – which has occasionally been maybe too saccharine – and a fine-line of maturity and rah-rah punkiness, with neither one feeling too preachy. It’s a great place to be; Dan is both humble and lowkey wise with his observations and rants, providing great singalongs that are set to equally great – and endlessly catchy – tune. With some assists on drums, the album has punch, Potthast swinging his pop-rock into some adjacent genres, getting a bit of indie folk in there, and even some new wave touches. This is also a fine line: get too cute with these experiments and it can feel like you’re reaching, but Cars for Sale effects it all so comfortably, and keeps it bound to tried-and-true tunes.

…Which is, admittedly, also where this constant output can hit a wall, as the familiarity of the tried-and-true can start to run together. Cars is front-loaded with a ton of great, energetic tunes, but after the halfway point, it quiets down, and there are a run of tracks that sound somewhat similar – similar chords, similar pace, similar vocal affectations. Nothing extends much past a couple minutes, and you’re tapping your toe the whole time, so it’s not a big knock, just means the back half isn’t memorable as the start, save closer You Are Depressed – probably one of the most direct and emotional tracks Dan’s ever written, and a perfect way to bring back some wallop before the album ends.