Melodic/pop punk legends New Found Glory released new acoustic album with Revelation Records. These legends made some milestone albums, covered soundtrack songs in punk versions, and now it is time for most personal acoustic album which contains 7 new songs and 7 renditions of old classics. I will concentrate on new songs here because I think this is the most personal work to date, due to serious illness of one of the band members. These songs are full of hope, full of wishing to get healthy again, yet remaining in mind that battle might be lost. Songs like ‘Get Me Home’ and especially ‘Watch The Lilies Grow’ brought goosebumps and tears to my eyes, because I am currently also ill and sometimes see no way out if and it eats me down and there are better days, but also bad days too. But, never lose hope and never lose the will to fight and love like ‘Kiss The Floor’ says. This album is full of love, hope, most heartfelt personal emotions and lyrics, so I love every single minute of it.
Sunliner were already featured on the pages of this zine when they released their single from this debut album that came out with Lockjaw Records. UK scene is alive and thriving with some great bands and releases coming out every month and week. These Leeds based band presents ten songs on this new opus. The music can be described as that pop punk influenced melodic punk rock that somehow soothes and heals broken heart and soul. Music is mid tempo mainly, creating beautiful melodies also some post punk dreamy vibes like in ‘Jo, Joni, Mary and Maria’. Vocals are rougher edged but fit like glove to the overall atmosphere of the songs and what Sunliner tried to create here lyrically. Well, lyrics are so well written and personal that everyone can relate to. This might be seen as a concept album if you watch it lyrically as one man’s voyage through life. My personal favorites on this great pop punk record are: ‘4AM’, ‘Salad Days’ and ‘What A Time To Be Alive’.
Bar Tape are from Dublin, Ireland and this is their new release. What do we have here? These guys play a mixture of Californian fast skate punk with nineties influences and emotional punk in the vein of The Menzingers or Off With Their Heads, with rougher vocals, I would even say this rough yet melodic voice adds more to the drama and intense of the songs themselves. Like I said there are some faster songs like One Way East or St. Peter’s College Drop-out for example, but the real jewels on this one are mid tempo emotional hitters like Hindsight 20:20 which is one of my favorite songs on this album. Also, Subscription Glasses is one of my highlights on this one. Like you probably guessed from the provided song titles lyrics are personal with a dose of humor and irony thrown in for good measure. Great album, I am happy having discovered this band.
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