NO SHAME: Pepper do a good Sublime impersonation, just not as smart.

What are this hard-touring Hawaiian trio unashamed of? Apparently the answer is cribbing so completely from the Sublime songbook that at times it’s difficult to distinguish the reggae-tinged pop punk on Pepper’s fourth studio full-length from the stuff on Sublime’s new career-spanning box set. You can’t really blame Pepper frontman Kaleo Wassman for holding the late Bradley Nowell in such high esteem; Nowell’s vision was potent, and his music’s mellow-island vibe clearly resonates with Wassman. You can’t even complain about Wassman’s Nowell impression here, since more often than not it results in tuneful, appealingly goofy rock that sounds better as the days get shorter. But Nowell had more up his sleeve than fat grooves; he found a way to articulate rage with sweetness. Wassman has nothing compelling to say — he’s the rare songwriter who can use a phrase like “pussy-licking me,” as he does in “Point and Shoot,” and not do anything with it.

Pepper + Slightly StoopiD | Avalon, 15 Lansdowne St, Boston | November 14 | 617.931.2000

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