A lot of contemporary bands try to mimic an older vein of music, and sadly, it usually… A lot of contemporary bands try to mimic an older vein of music, and sadly, it usually doesn’t work.

But for The Gaslight Anthem, it’s where these Jersey Boys have found their niche.

The band’s second album American Slang sticks to the band’s fast and energetic pace without sacrificing the classic Bruce Springsteen-style rock that helped The Gaslight Anthem make a name for itself on its popular album, The ’59 Sound.

It might be Brian Fallon’s fantastic lead vocals or Benny Horowitz’s crazy fast drumming that sets The Gaslight Anthem apart from other nostalgic rockers, but it’s also the jarring honesty in the band’s Americana lyrics and earnestness.

Like The ’59 Sound before it, American Slang is the kind of album that makes listeners want to drive fast and enjoy being a young 20-something.

Though American Slang is still energetic and powerful, some of the songs seem to have slightly lower fidelity, and the entire album is only slightly mellower than The ’59 Sound.

One of the highlights of the album are its title song, “American Slang,” which is a dramatic and fast yet somehow nearly ballad-like song that shows off the band’s slight deviation from its last album, without losing the spark that set it on fire.

Other highlights include the upbeat “Stay Lucky” and the rhythmic and insanely catchy “Boxer.”

On the whole, The Gaslight Anthem has once again delivered its fans a fantastic album that will hopefully precede many others.