Labels: No Sleep
Review by: Tom Howells
God knows why it’s taken me so long to write this review because it’s, y’know, The
Wonder Years. Generic fourth-wave pop-punk is a no-brainer, right? Sort of, in this
case. The Upsides certainly appears to be an identikit companion to the throngs of
Decaydence/Hopeless-sequestered pop types out there, but dammit if they haven’t
improved a mite since their woeful first record and the split with All Or Nothing.
Key criticisms bear up with what Malcolm stated first time round, amongst other
things; whiny vocals, tough bro-shouts which are actually expoundings of cringing
mid-to-late twenties nostalgia, a few more hardcore-endebted musical bits, a singular
horrible, HORRIBLE ukulele ditty, ink’n’beards, disgustingly smug cover art etc.
But there’s just something that keeps inexplicably drawing me back. Most of the
songs on The Upsides are terribly, terribly catchy, for better or for worse. There are
some excellent, surprisingly subtle lead lines”most notably in “My Last Semester’
and “This Party Sucks'”which lend a few of the better songs a bit of fist-pumping
potential. Musically, this is perfectly solid”even despite the chugging Four Year
Strong guitars that rear up every now and then”with ace drumming for the most
part. Most of the tracks are kept pretty speedy, so anything that does grate is over
before it gets too much. Too cleanly produced by far, if they’d gone a little more lo-
fi it may well have warranted the Latterman comparisons on the press release, and, on
that note, I’d rather listen to No Matter Where We Go”¦! over this any day. In short,
it’s modern pop-punk which isn’t as hideous as you’d expect, thus surprisingly ok.