While it’s nice that they release one final album, it really sucks when they don’t tour in support of it.

But then it becomes worst of all when that final album, frankly, sucks.

This is happening right now with me and Japandroids, a hard-rocking duo out of Vancouver who decided to call it a day at the same time they announce one last album but with no tour.

The album in question, Fate & Alcohol, dropped a week ago and, if I’m being completely honest, it’s very underwhelming.

I’ll be honest and admit that I didn’t listen to it right away. I didn’t want to admit that it was the end and I worried it wouldn’t be up to snuff.

Today, I finally started listening. I’m through track seven and nothing is sticking with me. There’s not a single standout song. It’s like they evolved their sound from Post-Nothing to Celebration Rock and even moreso to Near to the Wild Heart of Life and then took three giant leaps backwards with Fate & Alcohol.

Everything about it feels phoned in. Almost like they each recorded their parts separately and from a distance and then mixed it together instead of being in the studio working as a team. And, considering one of them lives in Michigan now and is married, it’s likely this is the exact scenario they played into.

I will listen to the rest and, being Japandroids, I will give it another listen or two. But my expectations have bottomed out.

And I’m sad.