Stateside – the American one, not the defunct Australian one – are a week away from launching their debut album and we get an advance spin of it to let you know what we think.
It opens with ‘Heads Up Big Guy’ which is a loud, huge sounding pop punk opening that lives in the same town as early NFG, State Champs, and Neck Deep. This band instantly stamps the passports of all pop punk purists. The chorus brings you to the ‘Suburbia…’ days of The Wonder Years and nothing leaves a bigger smile on our faces.
The Wonder Years comparisons continue throughout the LP and second track ‘Stay Sweet’ is no exception. It may sound obvious to say, but since Knuckle Puck are featuring on this track, there’s a lot of their DNA over this song in particular.
The whole album is a beautiful return to the start of the current pop punk era. Gang vocals, occasional screams, melodic octaves on guitar, and lyrics that are so personal you feel like a voyeur in the life of frontman Anthony Lemus.
A change of pace with angst-ridden ‘The End’s Not Near It’s Here’ lulls you into a false sense of security with its dreamy intro and first verses before it descends into a tremendous downward spiral of shouting over loud guitars. A definite highlight.
New single ‘Like A Rosary’ is the most unique with its rapid, single note, guitar work that opens into a big, soaring chorus. Lemus has said of the song “’Like a Rosary’ is really about one of my worst memories when I dropped someone off at an airport and couldn’t find the right words to say or find the way to express that I didn’t want them to go. All while looking back and realising how much power this person really had over my life and emotions in a way I couldn’t understand.” – well he’s expressing them now!
Another standout track is “’On A Clear Day You Can See Forever’ which is as close to a ballad as we’re getting. It’s not soppy or acoustic, more like a huge, emo anthem – which is the most emo the album gets.
Metalcore band Vamachara feature on ‘California Calls’ which would be an amazing finishing track that leaves those singing along gasping for air – but it’s not quite over as we get ‘Mile Marker’ as a final pallet cleanser. A saccharine pop punk number that brings us right back to that early era of easy core and NFG before everyone fell into the trap of metal riffs with pop punk vocals.
Overall, this is insanely listenable and welcome in any playlist I’m subjected to. There’s no plans for Stateside to come across to this side of the pond so far, but I’m looking forward to seeing them on a tiny stage in my favorite sweatbox.
‘Where You Found Me’ is released on Pure Noise Records on June 6th.
Catching Light Photography
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