One of Glasgow’s better known local pop punk bands has just dropped this new single. So we decided to give it a spin and see if it can stand up next to the influences they cite such as Neck Deep, Roam, and Trash Boat.
Jumping on the missing vowel (apart from the E) bandwagon, WRTHLESS have been going since before the end times of Covid and have managed to share the stage with some notable names as well as getting on some BBC and Spotify playlists. They seem right on the cusp of managing to push through to a bigger following and the next level.
‘2000 Cans’ starts off with a nice clean riff and the standard pop punk filtered vocals, but this is where the main issue starts. I’ve listened to the track on multiple speakers and can’t for the life of me make out what is being sung. Is this intentional? Maybe… but as it seems to be the hook of the song it would be better to know what’s being said.
Once the song kicks off things improve with big-sounding guitars and drums. Unfortunately, the vocals are still sitting low in the mix meaning only parts can be plucked out by the casual listener. They’re also drowning in layers of delay, modulation, and I swear I can hear too much autotune. There’s a great melody in this song, it’s just a shame that it’s a struggle to sing along.
The drums are big and fast, the guitars sound like modern pop punk guitars and the lead riffs are impressive. When the vocals manage to escape the effects – such as in the bridge – they’re good albeit a bit robotic. It’s a case of throwing the kitchen sink at the vocals for the choruses, which rather than making them sound huge, just makes them sound underwater for a lot of it. Less would have been more in this department. The same can be said for mastering… the quiet bits are as loud as the loud bits and a bit of dynamics would have taken this single far. The melody is a lifesaver, however. If you like a tune that you can hum along to and bop your head to… this is it – we just wont be able to sing along any time soon.