Good Charlotte – Motel Du Cap

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Good Charlotte have returned with their first studio album in seven years, called Motel Du Cap, and it is an exploration of the band’s humble beginnings, while still offering a few new musical elements to further the artistic direction of GC. The music landscape has changed quite a bit since Good Charlotte last released Generation Rx. Country artists are predominantly taking the top spots on the Billboard 200, while rock/punk music has offered some really cool emerging artists in the scene such as Turnstile, Pinkshift and Moving Mountains, just to name a few. So where does Good Charlotte fit in? The answer can be found by checking in to Motel Du Cap and hearing the Madden brothers’ unique perspective on how far they’ve come together, their past trauma, and overall outlook on life. The set was produced by Johan Carlsson, Zakk Cervini, Jordan Fish, Andrew Goldstein, and Charlie Puth, and is armed with 13 songs in total. Four of the tracks include guest artist spots, and Good Charlotte do a commendable job of not only paying homage to their past legacy as a band, but showcasing their staying power in our scene.

After a brief spoken word introductory track called “Check In at Motel Du Cap,” lead single “Rejects” sets the scene by taking Joel and Benji Madden back to the very beginning as Joel shares, “When I was little, playing in the dirt / No one with me, there were no words that hurt / And all my friends, they were insects / But, all my feelings, I didn’t know them yet,” before later delving into their past family trauma of, ” ‘Cause Mommy doesn’t love me and my daddy, well, he’s dead and gone.” While some may dismiss these lyrics as a bit of retread to already covered ground, trauma is trauma, and it’s hard to let go of the past. The song does a good job of modernizing Good Charlotte’s slick, pop-punk sound, and made sense for an introductory song to this latest chapter in GC-lore.

”Steppers” is another example of the magic that comes together when the four band members of Benji, Joel, Paul, & Billy are in sync with each other. The earworm chorus of, ” ‘Cause I’m a real stepper / I’m a rhyme killer / She’s a bad mother…fucker / And she just wants to ride with me / She’s a fashion killer / She’s a real thriller / She’s a heart stealer / That she just wants to ride with me,” focuses on Joel’s marriage to Nicole Richie and how he sees her as his life partner. The single has a great bounce to it, and it accentuates what Good Charlotte can do with a matured, adult pop sound.

The key track of “I Don’t Work Here Anymore” unlocks some of Good Charlotte’s best material to date, and the sweeping orchestra in the background pulls on the heartstrings of even the most pessimistic people in the world. The second verse features some nice lyrical imagery as Joel croons, “Your blonde hair, those blue eyes were as crystal as the ocean / And I knew it, I could see you by my side / When you walked in, it was over, I felt sober for the first time / When you took my hand, my dreams were opened wide,” and it’s great to see his positive outlook on his personal life. “Life Is Great” kicks off the middle section of the record that is filled with guest spots, including the one here that features a rapped bridge by Wiz Khalifa. The song has a bit of a Sublime feel to it, and meshes well with the “end of summer” vibes. “Pink Guitar” is a shimmering pop song that features Zeph, as Joel explains, “Billy got a pink guitar / She said she’s gonna play it someday / She’ll drive the fastest car, the fastest car / They’re tellin’ her, ‘Don’t work too hard / Wait and see if it could even happen / These things won’t get you far, won’t get you far'”. Good Charlotte have always been good storytellers, and this song is no exception.

Given the fact that Alt Country is so big right now, it’s not that much of a surprise that Good Charlotte would leverage this popularity with the twang of “Deserve You”, that features country artist Luke Borchelt. The smooth chorus of, “I was born to lose, I was wasted youth / Tell me, what did I do to deserve you? / Must have Jesus fooled, I think God’s confused / Tell me, what did I do to deserve you?” leans not only to the band’s past, but also their faith in a higher power. I felt that the two artists pulled off this collaboration pretty well, and made sense in the overall sequencing of Motel Du Cap. “Mean” follows up the country-tinged track with a return to the classic GC pop-punk formula, while the only real misstep is found on “Bodies,” a riff-heavy song that sounds a bit out of place in the style that is found on this record. The song would’ve felt more at home on Good Charlotte’s Good Morning Revival LP, but this particular track doesn’t hit its target.

The band quickly regains their creative footing gracefully on “Vertigo”, that features Petti Hendrix, and finds Benji and Joel harmonizing at ease with each other and the guest artist. “The Dress Rehearsal” is a true ballad that outlines a key narrative in the story of Good Charlotte as Joel shares the personal story of, “When I held my son, when his eyes first opened / And they were as blue as yours, like the ocean / You showed me the cost, so I’ll never waste it / I know that we’ll make it / I’m ready to face the pain now.” It’s a great, reflective moment from a father looking back to the happiest of days, and I’m glad that he and his bandmates are at a good place in their lives to return to the music scene.

”Castle in the Sand” is a piano-laced ballad that feels right at home in the album sequencing, and Joel sounds great in his vocal approach that is not only tender, bu incredibly genuine and heartfelt. The LP closer of “GC FOREVER” is a bit of a love letter to all the faithful fans who have stuck with the band through thick and thin, and reminds us all of the power of music, in general, in evoking the right emotions in us. Motel Du Cap may not be perfect, but anytime we can get new music from Good Charlotte, it’s a nice treat, since the band consistently speaks from the heart and from an authentic place.

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