Simple Plan - 'When I'm Gone'

The electronic twinges that kick off 'When I'm Gone' are confusing and misleading – for a brief second it sounds like Canadian pop-punks Simple Plan have gone down a Timberlake style electro-pop route. It soon becomes evident that isn’t the case, when the vocals come in, soon followed by an anthemic chorus. It’s clear the band is trying to diversify their sound, but if you strip away the samples and drum beats, you’re left with a decent, but not spectacular, generic song for the genre. The lyrics proclaim “It’s like we’re going through the motions / of a scripted destiny.” Quite fitting then – existing fans will be pleased, and the radio friendly production may make it a hit, but this is ultimately quite a bland offering.

Released 04/02/08 on Atlantic Records.