The last time I saw Gym Class Heroes was at the UNSW Roundhouse, and it was amazing to see the kind of audience the boys pull. There were hip hop heads bobbing along next to emo kids and punk rockers. All were blown away by frontman Travis McCoy’s stage presence and showmanship. He commanded the audience in a way that no other man could and his electric charisma hypnotised the crowd. Travie is one charming cat and he’s been my fashion icon for years. The guy dresses like an indie hip hopper and rocks some of the freshest gear to grace a human body.

All that being said, The Quilt is Gym Class’ fourth album (bet you didn’t know that. It’s OK, to be perfectly honest I originally thought this was their third but I looked it up at work and turns out their debut album was not Papercut Chronicles but a little gem called ...For The Kids which was independently released in 2001. Anyway… Their new offering is an album that’s true to the indie hip hop flavour you’d expect from our Heroes. The wonderful thing about their music is it gives indie kids and punks a chance to hear hip hop rhymes and hip hop heads a chance to check out live instrumentation over an unorthodox style of rhyming true to indie hip hop.

Gym Class Heroes rap about real world shit that normal people can relate to. Instead of rhyming about selling dope or riding around in a Cadillac sitting on 22s, Gym Class spit lyrics about MySpace crushes, on New Friend Request from their previous album, or drunken text messages sent to girls you know you shouldn’t, DRNK TXT RMEO from this album. This is shit suburban kids can relate to, not abstract issues like hustling crack or partying with big booty hoes.

But I was intensely skeptical when I heard Gym Class were dropping another album, and my initial fear was realised when I gave the album its debut listen and was left underwhelmed. But first impressions melted away after the second go round. This album is not an indie hip pop record that you’ll love instantly. The songs seem darker than Gym Class’ previous shit (or as dark as these kids can seem), but while nothing seems to jump out and grab you at first, every track has more to it if you give it a chance. The songs are fun and light-hearted wrapped in groovy guitar riffs and drum beats. I guess maybe the songs sound less hip hop and more indie rock than their older joints and thus sound a little darker.

Overall, The Quilt is a solid album. It lacks the tongue-in-cheek attitude that made their previous album As Cruel As School Children hot property, but it shows the band have stepped away from the more childish subject matter and crave to be taken more seriously as artists. This can be heard not only in the lyrics, but also in the greater use of live instruments. It may not be as radio friendly but it’s a definite grower. Give this album a couple of spins before you cast judgment on it because it will get better and better with each listen.