MXPX

If there’s one thing that can be said about Bremerton stalwarts MxPx, it’s that the perils of being career musicians will never outweigh the joy they’ve found in truly doing what they love, because no matter how many pitfalls are thrown in their path, “There is a song in there somewhere,” says lead vocalist/bassist Mike Herrera. Plans Within Plans, the trio’s ninth studio record, was released in 2012.

MxPx had not released a full-length album in five years (2007’s Secret Weapon), and through those times, the band had endured their fair share of tribulations. Whether it was identity theft, credit card fraud, outrunning muggers in foreign countries, constant van breakdowns, accumulating debt in an attempt to fund tours — the list could go on.

The result of these struggles is Plans Within Plans, a two-decade career coming to grips not only with aging as a band, but also the harsh reality that they are still on a steep upward climb toward their collective goals. Always sharing an endearing commonality with their diehard fans, the album has its throwback moments while still managing to employ a few surprises.