Robyn Writes

Review: The Here And Now – Born To Make Believe Part 1 [EP]

It’s refreshing and perception altering when a musicians reveal a different side to both themselves and their music, and that is exactly what we have got in the shape of The Here And Now’s debut Born to Make Believe Part 1. Alan Day, whose name you might recognise from his exploits within pop-punk outfit Four Year Strong, must have been building up a body of work for some time while believing that it never quite fit with the FYS sound. Day’s spare-time has seemingly been devoted to crafting a brand new entity, which has slowly found its own identity as the Here and Now. With influences spanning from Neil Young and The Beatles to bands like The Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana; Day creates a whirlwind of rock transcending several generations.

The opening (and title) track kicks into life with a guitar intro smoothed over Day’s crooning. Its shifting tempo and sound sets the tone for the whole EP, covering a wide range of rock and roll eras, but doing so with an original modern twist. Third track “Broken By You” holds a line which is more folk, with a sound showing a clear Neil Young influence, while the rocking track “Numb Again” hits home with a sound reminiscent of the Foos. Day manages to mix together 90’s grunge with folk rock and does so without butchering or rubbishing either. It is far from what FYS fans are accustomed to, but it demonstrates the diversity of an underappreciated musician. What this first EP shows is that Day is clearly a fantastic songsmith; the tracks that make up the EP show that he knows how to make melody central and that he is not afraid of variation, not just across the EP but across a single song. The music can go from a calm folk rock sea to a spontaneous storm of rock’n’roll. Heavy rock riffs spur to life in an instant, before calmly falling back towards the soothing sounds, as if there was no interruption to them at all.

The best part of the EP is that it is supposedly only the first instalment of three, each to be five songs long. It is to be released through Bandcamp as a name-your-price download because, Day said: “the idea is just to be able to let people get the music when they want it, and not ignore it because they don’t want to pay the $5 to buy a record”. A good way for new projects to battle against the spree of illegal downloads. Since you can get your digital hands on a copy of the EP for whatever price you see fit, you really have no excuse for not checking this gem out!

4 out of 5 high fives!

Inherit The Stars – We Were Made To Walk The Skies

It seems not a week can go by without finding myself being introduced to a new metal band from Sheffield to listen to; it might even be getting to the point where it is worth my while to pack up and move there. This week’s chosen gem from the depths of Yorkshire is five-piece Inherit The Stars with their debut album, We Were Made To Walk The Skies. For a band who label themselves ‘metal’, it throws up a couple of surprises.

Although they’re happy to describe their sound as metal, the variation across the album makes it impossible to pigeon-hole them. You could opt for the safe bet of calling them post hardcore since there are some scattered screamed vocals; several of the instrumentals and breakdowns would have no injustice done to them by being labelled metalcore and yet, there are some more melodic sections that could comfortably be bopped along to by pop-punkers. Regardless of the ultimately meaningless task of slapping a genre them, what Inherit The Stars have here is a solid debut album which gives dominant role to melodies and each tracks overall rhythm, albeit with the inevitable combo of screaming and riffs as well. They do say that they are metal after all.

The album opens with standout tune ‘If We Fall, We’ll Fall Together’, showcasing a rumbling beat, sweet riffs and catchy, melodic vocals. From their ‘metal’ label, it isn’t quite what you’d expect as an introduction to their debut, but with the pacey riffs and heavy drumming it is possibly a more radio friendly release; transcending into something darker as the song comes to close. The heavier end lays the platform for the screamed vocals to break forward on second track (and first single) ‘Citizens Of Earth’. An unremitting assault of post hardcore music: the band begins to deliver on their promise of more metal with suspense building drums complimented by a melodic backing, again ending on a loud note with a metalcore instrumental.

Showing that there is more complexity to their music, Inherit The Stars slow things down as they get into the meat of the album. ‘Facing The Fire’ leads in with a silky synth line, but relies on the chorus to really hook listeners in with an electronic backdrop and violins to give it a slight symphonic edge. The orchestral element joined with distorted guitars show that it is no surprise the band lists Fightstar as an influence and it is probably one of the more commercial tracks on the album. Maintaining the calmer vibes, ‘Hold Your Breath’ carries on in the same vein supplying a catchy rhythm with blended backing vocal harmonies, topped off with a generous helping of punchy riffs.
‘Through The Fallout’ is the one truly different track on the album. Even amongst the bands’ transitioning sound, it stands in total contrast to all that has gone before or follows on after. It is a heartfelt, whispered and stark song; with heavy focus on the haunting vocals and a resonating sound created by the reintroduction of violins, it’s vaguely reminiscent of later Linkin Park.

As a first album, you could question whether Inherit The Stars try to do a bit too much. It is great to be able to show off the talents each member has and the band’s overall aptitude for changing their sound from an aggressive metal vibe to a bouncing pop-punk number is undoubtedly impressive. They may do better in their early days to really nail down a sound that works for them, variety is the spice of life and they clearly have an abundance, but sometimes it can help to pick out a target audience and say “Hey, you guys will LOVE this!”. Having said that, with elements of pop-punk, post hardcore and metal, there is a little bit of something for everyone in this album; while not reinventing music as we know it, the successful blend of genres makes this one well worth putting the speakers on for and turning the volume up to full!

3.5 out of 5 high fives!

Go Deep – Counseling

With a line-up featuring past members of Undying and Outbreak, Brooklyn boys Go Deep have released their debut record and oh boy it’s packed with some classic punk jams. Unremitting and in your face, Counseling smashes out shouted vocals from Kris Kneale and a throbbing bassline, egged along by ripping guitars and solid drum work. In terms of the releases production, Counseling sails quite well between the rocks of too-clean-sounding for a hardcore record and that raw edgy bite that you come to expect from punk. Lyrically the band doesn’t try anything too complex, this is punk after all, but they get straight to the point and they don’t go holding any punches. In this sense it is everything that is good about punk.

With first track ‘Late Notice’ the album starts off with a pretty tired hardcore device: sound clips from 80’s movies (Point Break). But they also deliver an all-out punk assault until everything fades to black just before the 2 minute mark (yeah that’s right, a punk song over two minutes long!) before evolving into walloping chords forming a truly dark hardcore punk riff and a furiously creative breakdown. Second track ‘Glossectomy’ shows perfectly how every last line Kris shouts is targeted, he’s got someone in his sights and his words are loaded. “I’m a destructive person, and you’re the fucking reason.” Clocking in at 51 seconds of pure aggression, this is more like what you would have expected, bringing fast riffs and a bone-crushing bass. The song definitely harps back to the unadulterated punk of the 80’s – thumping from jazzy riffs to a devastating end, this song is all of the punk you can handle and more.

When fourth track ‘Leave’ hits in all hell breaks loose, it screeches into life like a rollercoaster that’s flipped off the tracks. Showcasing some of the heaviest hardcore punk riffs you will ever hear, the song also finds time to go back to the punk roots with a faster, jumping middle and end. “You’re so fucking critical, so tell me what I can’t do. I’ll shove this down your throat….” This is one of the most abrasive and coarse songs on the release. Then there is ‘Elders’. The most satisfyingly unexpected song on a hardcore punk album. This one is slow, it is heavy, and boy it’s angry: “Spoon fed poison ideas since birth.” Adding in the darkest lead riff on the album Kris ends with the demand: “Learn to accept.”

The final two tracks ‘Bundle of Joy’ and ‘Enthusiast’ form a bit of an uncharitable social commentary on the lives of today’s youths: teenage pregnancy and drug habits paid for by daddy, but slammed together with powerful riffs which make me forget about the unfair character assassinations of kids today and just enjoy one hell of a ride. Really trying to ‘Go Deep’ and end off the 7 track release on a dark note, the band tackle addiction: “I can’t imagine losing myself like that… You’re dying for one more.” Hitting out at the selfishness and self-apathy that feeds into addictions, like much of the 10 minutes that came before it, this comes out of the blue and hits home as a bit of a shock, but not in a bad way. Oh no, this is good shit.

All in all, Go Deep have furiously churned out a hard-hitting collection of songs that promise to unite any lost fans of punk out there by combing traditional punk with something a little bit different and a little bit heavier. In what has become, like so many, a genre with too many bands with too few ideas, Go Deep bring something exciting to the feast knowing exactly what they want to do and precisely how to deliver.

4 out of 5 high fives!

Forever After – Wilderness

Forever After has made a real splash in the pool of UK emergent pop-punk with their catchy and hard-hitting sound. Having already secured themselves a strong local following in their home county of Essex, the young four piece has been delighting crowds all over the country, supporting other UK breakthrough acts such as Mallory Knox and Futures.

Within the folds of the six songs that make up Wilderness, the boys smash out true pop-punk, revealing apathy for popular culture and the stagnating society that is Britain in recession. There is more catchy melodies and sophistication than the “F**K YOU!” of straight up punk and there is much more honesty and aggression than the “love me, love me” of pop music. The lyrics emit the typical socialist vibes, “it’s down to us in the community”, delivering songs for the fans to empathise with, sharing the collective disdain for the mess today’s youth has been left with.

Opening track ‘I’ve Got Friends’, hooks in the listener with punk riffs, crashing drums and a sound which sees every instrument blend together to compliment Dom Littler’s vocals. With lyrics such as ‘I’ve got friends but they’re leaving me all the time’ it can show the sacrifices in dedicating your life to a band in its infancy as other friends go off to University or get ‘real’ jobs. The track is aggressive in a passionate way, delivering every line with a punch.

‘Game Over’ is just as catchy, although a tad slower, with verses that build up to a chorus packed with foot-tapping melodies and a fistful of energy. The drum and bassline bounce off each other joyfully alongside Littler’s raw, powerful vocals and this carries on into ‘Grab A Drink’ which screams to life with a strong riff before swirling into a combination of raw verses and a rhythmic chorus.

‘Stay’ swirls into life with an introduction that grabs the listeners unwavering attention. The song is one of the EPs most instrumentally refined, showcasing impulsive tempo transitions between verse and chorus with polished guitars, a leading bass and a supportive drum beat which forms the backbone of not only the track but the EP in its entirety. All four of them successfully flaunt their musical prowess to round off the song with a modest yet fruitful instrumental.

The stand out track on the release definitely comes in the form of ‘Stupidity’ which displays the songwriting talents of this young band. The vocals really come to the fore helping to emphasise what is without a doubt the lyrically best track on this release. Although it is vocally simplistic, the strength of deliverance and lyrical dexterity make up for it, with a cheekily rebellious feel to every line. The instruments again merge together as delicate guitars and a subtle beat support Littler’s singing to create an all-rounder hit. The Essex quartet really strike gold with this track, hitting out at popular culture and pop music in a similar vein to fellow Essex boys Inme with their ‘Single of the Weak’ a few years back.

‘Chapters’ rounds off the EP with the slow, simple, majestic feel of a ballad. An acoustic guitar and softer vocals hold the first half of the song until the drums kick in, but even then they manage to retain the slow and passionate feel it began with. As the only track that is not obviously pop-punk, ‘Chapters’ allows Littler’s emotive vocals layered on top of the musical accompaniments to provide a long outro to wind down the EP.

Considering the plethora of young pop-punk bands out there trying to be Blink-182 or Sum 41, in ‘Wilderness’ Forever After remain very pop-punky, but they do it bloody well. For fans of Mallory Knox; We Are The Ocean; New Found Glory, the Essex lads don’t reinvent the genre, but they don’t just copy all that has gone before either. ‘Wilderness’ forms a statement of intent for climbing high up the pop-punk ladder.

4 out of 5 high fives!

Road To Horizon – Chapters [EP]

Through the misty fields of the Yorkshire dales you can hear a rumbling, a progressive crescendo of riffs, screamed vocals and hollow drum beats that is earning the region a reputation for thumping metalcore and raging post-hardcore. Shortly after Yorkshire’s The Ocean Between Us released their debut record and subsequently parted with frontman Judd Wrighton, and soon after the regions own Bring Me The Horizon released their game changing album Sempiternal, Leeds based Road To Horizon enter the fold with ‘Chapters’,a five-track EP (and a bonus Rita Ora cover) made up of sophisticated instrumentals and intense vocals. You might recognise the boys from BBC Three’s “Don’t Tell The Bride” series. Having appeared in the “metal wedding” episode, which aired in August 2012, the band are shown performing at the unique ceremony, along with getting the groom royally “fucked up” before the big day.

Draped in melodic rhythm, the EP personifies the fantastic bi-polar nature of the post-hardcore genre, from the softer percussion-driven verses to the explosive screamed choruses. The juxtaposition of heartfelt emotion & gut-wrenching aggression makes the EP sound remarkably similar to the likes of A Day To Remember and Road To Horizon’s slower, more melodic take on the genre offers a familiar, yet strong sound.

The EP bursts into life with opening track ‘Through The Ashes’. The song begins with a gentle synth and piano combination but swells into something much more powerful with heavy drums and fast-paced guitars. The soft, clean vocals float in and carry the song through until raspy screams intermittently burst forth to maintain the diversity and give the songs that metal-tinged something extra.

This is a feature of the EP itself and each track that makes it up. With whirling but gentle melodies, fast and intricate guitar work, and the metal-edge delivered by rough vocals and heavy drums. “Caught Red Handed” slows down the clean vocals, but the energy still emanates through. As the chorus springs in the thrashing guitars and aggressive screams tear up the script and give what could have been a slower more peaceful song a darker yet catchier side. “In Your Bed” and “This Is The End” carry on this trend, filling the lyrics with emotive angst and slamming the riffs against the constant heavy drum beat, the screams and clean vocals forming a match made in heaven.

Road To Horizon definitely show a whole lot of potential in ‘Chapters.’ They are capable of putting together a great post-hardcore song, writing and performing complex instrumental parts and the vocals, clean and rough, are fantastically conveyed. When putting together an album however, they could benefit from more diversity, throwing in songs with faster melodies; maybe a song or two with only clean or rough vocals. All in all it is a great EP, a great stepping stone, and hopefully even better things will follow on from this. From first listen they seem capable; let’s hope they deliver!

4 out of 5 high fives!