Save Your Breath - Recover EP review.

Save Your Breath return with their new EP ‘Recover’ released on Purgatory Records. The new EP comes after their first full length release in 2011 ‘Vices’ which struck a chord with pop-punk fans within the UK and internationally. ‘Recover’ is another reminder why Save Your Breath are one of the best at what they do, in the UK.

The EP begins with the title track ‘Recover’ a fast paced track with consistent drum patterns balanced with the lyrics of the song which blend perfectly to create the ultimate start to a pop punk EP. The chorus is one so typical of Save Your Breath’s music, catchy hooks have been the success of tracks in the past such as ‘Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy’. ‘Recover’ follows this same pattern as previous Save Your Breath numbers with it’s catchy hooks, perfect for fans of the genre.

‘Maps’ has the same nature of the first track, with the drum beats and guitar riffs blending perfectly with the vocals of Kris Richards. ‘Maps’ is even more catchy than the opening track which allows the EP to keep flowing consistently, again a perfect representation of Save Your Breath’s music creating a polished pop punk sound using a perfect blend of catchy lyrics and instrumentation.

‘Skeleton Key’ begins with raw vocals and heavy drum beats. This track isn’t as flowing as the first tracks, but shows the more punchy side of the bands sound. This track is typical of the raw pop punk sound which has been so successful for the likes of The Wonder Years and The Story So Far in recent times.

‘2004’ starts fiercely with fast upbeat drum patterns, again the success of this number relies on the chorus. Although, it isn’t as robust as previous tracks, and the gang vocals are a little on the weak side towards to conclusion of the song, the first blip in a so far strong EP.

The next track ‘Ceremony’ is a very dark number, and shows the band aren’t afraid of experimenting with different sounds. Distorted vocals and guitar riffs create an eery sound reminiscent of the sound of grunge and emo bands in the 1990’s. An interesting change of sound which works as an interlude in the EP.

The EP concludes with ‘Touchpaper’ it seems like they have saved the best for last with this track. Strong drum beats and fast paced vocals are thrown into a blender to create the perfect ending track, gang vocals are much stronger in this track which works well with Kris’s ever consistent raw vocals which are perfect for the hooks.

A very interesting EP containing the typical catchy sound that Save Your Breath have always brought to the table, some new sounds which could be used again in future releases. Hopefully now after the success of ‘Vices’ and a new EP released, they can finally push it to the next level on their 2nd full length release and take the worldwide pop punk scene by storm.

Road To Warped Tour, Cardiff - Live Review

 Photo taken by  - Kern Bridges (Kern Hollie Photography)

Doors opened around 7.30pm for the fans buzzing for a night of pop punk legends and pop punk newcomers. On the bill were Californians The Story So Far, New Jersey’s very own Man Overboard and Florida legends New Found Glory and Less Than Jake.

The Story So Far took to the stage at around ten to seven. A small cluster of fans gathered at the front, excited to see the band who have exploded worldwide in a very small period of time. As the first track of their set list kicked in; a swarm of fans joined the cluster at the front ready to witness the band play most of the songs from their successful first full length ‘Under Soil And Dirt’. The crowd incredible enthusiasm throughout and sang along until their lungs give out. The reception The Story So Far received was fantastic to see. South Wales is a not a place renowned for pop punk fans but they were certainly out in numbers tonight.

Tracks like ‘Mt Diablo’ ‘Daughters’ and ‘Quicksand’ were particular highlights and sent the crowd into an absolutely frenzy with constant crowd surfers. The band were on fantastic form with Parker Cannon’s vocals at the centre of the chaos created, his raw vocals perfect to blend in with the nature of the crowd. A fantastic start to the evening and it just shows how far this band have come in a space of a year.

Next on stage were Man Overboard who like The Story So Far were touring for the 3rd time in the UK in 2012. Their sugar coated pop punk went down fairly well with the crowd, especially the younger girls at the front of the crowd who seem to know a lot of the more soppy songs that Man Overboard play. It was a varied set list featuring songs from all of their full length releases. The crowd were fairly quiet throughout, although tracks such as ‘Fantasy Girl’ and ‘Montrose’ did go down well with the fans of Man Overboard’s album ‘Real Talk’. Man Overboard are usually criticised for their live performances, but they remained energetic and strong throughout to deliver a good live performance, they concluded the set with ‘Love Your Friends, Die Laughing’ which seems to spark some vocals from the crowd, with it being one of the more popular Man Overboard songs. A good performance in front of a quiet, uninterested crowd with the exception of a few fans.

Probably unexpectedly New Found Glory came onto the stage next, although the stage banner was a bit of a give away. This was always going to be a special set with the band playing their ‘Sticks and Stones’ album in full to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the release of the album in 2002. They may not be as popular and as youthful as they were in 2002 but they certainly still know how to put on a good live performance and please a crowd.

As expected ‘Understatement’ and ‘My Friends Over You’ were perfect for creating chaos within the venue, gigantic circle pits opened up and there was large movement in the crowd. The noise of the crowd was deafening during ‘My Friends Over You’. Slower songs like ‘Sonny’ and ‘Head on Collision’ calmed the crowd slightly, but they were still singing away showing fantastic energy. The pace soon picked up again thanks to numbers like ‘Never Give Up’ and ‘The Story So Far’ the band and the crowd had given their all to make the one off very special. After they had performed ‘Sticks and Stones’ in full, New Found Glory had 15 minutes of their set remaining to squeeze in some more songs to the delight of the crowd who were extremely sweaty and exhausted at this point. New Found Glory have enough time to pull out ‘All Downhill From Here’, ‘Dressed To Kill’, ‘Kiss Me’ and ‘Hit Or Miss’ each song was well received as the crowd sang along. ‘Hit Or Miss’ was the perfect end to a very exciting and memorable set and it was great to be a part of it.

Lastly, Less Than Jake took to the stage. It was a special night for them too who were celebrating 20 years of being a band. The crowd seemed to find new energy as Less Than Jake teared up the venue with their brilliant ska punk classics. ‘Gainesville Rock City’ and ‘All My Friends Are Metalheads’ were essential in getting the crowd going, the crowd were singing loudly with huge circle pits, crowd surfing and even the odd couple of fans dancing...

Less Than Jake are a very humorous band, and very funny moments in their set. They invited to the women security guard to crowd surf from the back of the venue to the stage. They also got three of the ‘stinkiest dudes’ in the room on stage to find out which one was the smelliest. The winner received a bottle of whiskey. After the jokes it was back to the live music, Less Than Jake ended with ‘The Ghost of Me and You’ the crowd gathered for a circle pit around the sound and lighting area.

The crowd had not had enough from the band, so they decide to chant ‘LESS THAN JAKE’ to encourage the band to do an encore. The band obliged and came back onto the stage to perform another three songs, they had been brilliantly consistent throughout and showed no sign of age after 20 years of being a band. They finished the encore with ‘Plastic cup Politics’ which encouraged the crowd to go crazy and create the perfect end to a very sweaty and enjoyable night at the Great Hall. The old legends showed the younger bands (Man Overboard and The Story So Far) that age doesn’t show on a band and both New Found Glory and Less Than Jake were vocally and instrumentally perfect throughout their sets. Very special night.

Album Of The Year 2012: The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past

This was a very tough decision to make, similarly to last year there have been so many good full length releases in 2012. In the end, the album that spoke to me most and really got me singing along was The Menzingers’ On The Impossible Past. There were other albums released this year were very good, but almost all the songs from ‘On The Impossible Past’ stayed in my head day after day and really gripped me as a fan of melodic punk rock.

 ‘Good Things’ is the perfect opener to the album, perfect use of hooks. The aggressive vocals adds to the catchy nature of the song, the repeated lyrics encourages the listener to become addicted and eventually start singing along. ‘Burn After Waiting’ has the same catchy effect as the first track, the chorus is highly addictive to create another number that is hard not to sing along too. The guitar riffs blend perfectly with the vocals to create a consistent sound throughout the song.

 ‘The Obituaries’ has an upbeat beginning with repeated drum patterns. Guitar riffs maintain an upbeat tempo throughout the beat. The best thing about this track is the brilliant use of hooks, “I will fuck this up, I fucking know it” proves to be utterly catchy throughout and is again hard not to sing along to.

 ‘Gates’ is much a slower number, the vocals and guitar riffs and drums flow so well to create a really consistent sound. The Menzingers lyrical skills are brilliant on this song, the words match the instrumentation beautifully to create a soft sound which again is pleasing to the ear. ‘Ava House’ has a similar sounding beginning to ‘Good Things’. The drum patterns maintain a steady beat throughout the track with consistent guitar riffs. Again, the repetitive lyrics makes this song very easy to listen to.

‘Sun Hotel’ is possibly my favourite on the album, perfect blend of clean and raw vocals mixed with a low guitar tone, perfect ingredients for a melodic punk number. Again the production deserves a massive thumbs up, both vocals and instruments sounding perfect. ‘Sculptors and Vandals’ is a slower number but still maintains the catchy elements that are present in the rest of the album.

 ‘Mexican Guitars’ is another favourite of mine on this album, the most simple sound but so effective when trying to please my ears. Again the vocals and instrumentation are faultless like most of the album, and makes it so calming and easy to listen to.

 ‘On The Impossible Past’ is a much a darker number, and shows the versatility of the band. Echoey guitar tones and dreary vocals create a strange standstill to the album. The same echoey guitar tone is repeated in ‘Nice Things’ this time more upbeat with overlapping guitar riffs and more bold vocals, another favourite of mine because it’s upbeat tempo. ‘Casey’ starts similarly to a number of songs on the album, with soft pitches guitar tones and slow drum beats. The vocals in this track gives it a bit of bite which I thoroughly enjoy.

 ‘I Can’t Seem To Tell’ and ‘Freedom Bridge’ provide a calming ending to an extremely enjoyable and soulful album. Both songs has the elements which makes this album so enjoyable and such as consistent album.

 Best Menzingers release to date, and with much competition the best album of 2012. A superb reflection of soulful melodic punk rock at it’s best. An album I can enjoy listening to for an number of years.