Artist: Squad Five-0 Album: Late News Breaking Label: Columbia Records Rating: 6 out of 10

The latest in a long of line underground Christian bands to make a play for the mainstream, punk rockers Squad Five-0 recently made their major-label debut with the Capitol Records release Late News Breaking. However, while a good album, it’s unlikely to win them a whole lot of new fans. While the group’s 2002 self-titled release showed a growing musical maturity and a more polished production approach that worked wonderfully, Late News is undeniably a step backwards. The glammed-up garage punk of opener “Always Talkin’, Never on the Run” would fit in perfectly on Bombs Over Broadway, Squad’s first of two releases on Seattle indie Tooth & Nail Records. And “All We Have” harks back to the band’s ska roots with its stripped-down reggae-lite verses, but the anthemic chorus, filled out with group vocal harmonies, is definitely ‘00s-era Squad Five-0. “Don’t Hesitate” and “Secret Society” also work in that stylistic vein, but like the album’s title, they’re too obviously inspired by the work of the late great Clash. In fact, the use of a drum loop on the verses of the otherwise-standard “Keep Me Up At Night” is the only truly new idea here, so those looking for a deliverance on the progressive promise made by the band’s last full-length will probably be disappointed. This is predominantly a street punk-meets-garage-rock record, with the occasional organ or acoustic guitar thrown in as aural decoration. That said, there’s no denying the raw energy and passion displayed by Squad on Late News Breaking - particularly raw-throated frontman Jeff Forston, who screams his lungs out on rockers like “Train of Shame” and the standout “No Heroes.” One surprise for long-time fans might be Forston’s newly-cynical, decidedly-darker lyrical bent. And his random sprinkling of profanity over the course of this record’s 12 tracks would never have flown with any of the band’s previous labels. In fact, it seems the singer actually has his sights set on the very scene from which Squad sprung nearly a decade ago. “Was it always the plan/create supply and demand?” he asks on “2 Grand and a Lot of Hassle.” “You give ‘em a show/They give you their money./The tables are turned/and I saw Jesus leave early.” Overall, it’s kind of hard to tell what the band is hoping to achieve with Late News Breaking. While the rawer musical approach Squad takes here should be appreciated by older fans, it probably won’t help them make it onto rock radio. And those same fans may very well be alienated by some of Forston’s lyrics. Taken solely on its own merits, this is an energetic rock record, full of ragged melodies and some undeniably-great guitar leads. It’s just not all that Squad Five-0 have proven to be capable of. - Todd Thatcher