Leading up to the release of Fidlar’s second full-length, Too (Mom + Pop Music), the prominent storyline has been frontman Zac Carper’s recent sobriety. As one of the brains behind a self-titled debut with lines like, “I drink cheap beer, so what? Fuck you!” it came as quite a surprise when he decided to go cold turkey.

Carper has since called out those who have proffered that a band is better under the influence. His drinking may have spurred some of the best anxiety-inducing pop-punk of 2013, but now 28 years old, he probably felt it was for the best to kick the drug and boozing habits before it overtook him and his band. Fair enough, and honestly, good for him.

Whatever the reasons, Too leaves much to be desired. Much of the record is weirdly jarring, with drastic shifts in tempo and peculiar voice-over segments that struggle to find their way into each song’s melody. These are not problems in and of themselves, however, at no point do they make sense on this record. Only the lead single, “40 oz. on Repeat,” pulls off this new change-of-pace style, as it pungently illustrates Carper’s fight with alcoholism and depression, as is obvious on the chorus, “I’m going to lock myself inside my room with a 40-ounce on repeat.” “Why Generation” and “Bad Medicine” work similarly, but in these cases, the splattering composition overrides any greater purpose. It seems that in sobering up, Fidlar has become prone to over-thinking the mechanics of their style and what worked, their inhibitions more omnipresent than ever before. Even the rehashed “West Coast” seems overproduced compared to the 2013 original from the Shit We Recorded in Our Bedroom EP. Still, it showcases Fidlar at their most scrappy and melodic, and lyrics like “checked out and waiting for the weekend” remain relevant even if this record is sorely lacking.