Too often in the music business do artists get scorned by fans and media alike for the following things: a musical difference from the previous record or a musical similarity to the previous record. In this case, consistency has never looked so damn good.
Having released three albums of a very high calibre, there was a lot of angsty teenager's expectations weighing down on the pop punk Philadelphia sextet. The delivery the band produced was astonishing.
The opener There, There navigates effortlessly between between an indie tinged riff and the singer Dan "Soupy" Campbell emotionally charged strained vocals. The lyrics play a huge role in this record. There, There finishes with the line "I'm awkward and nervous" which strikes a cord on a personal level with I'm sure many listeners and this will happen time and time again throughout the album. Relatable and deeply personal lyrics are an integral part to many pop punk bands but none are more consistent and heart renchingly open then that of Soupy (sometimes called Spicy because of a fan slip up... Hilarious).
Straight after There, There on the second track the gem of the whole album sticks out like a sore thumb. Passing Through A Screen Door is possibly the best song of 2013 in my humble eyes. This song is faultless. Special credit must be given to TWY's drummer Mike Kennedy who's blistering speed turns this song into a rip-roarer. The energy is barely confined to the tempo as every guitarist almost battles with the other to be faster. The lyrical content doesn't half pull at your heart strings either "Jesus Christ/Did I fuck up?". The ability in this album to churn out songs of this standard almost looks too easy as the album progresses, with the pop punk 101 Dismantling Summer and the soaring ballad-esque The Devil In My Bloodstream both affirming The Wonder Years ascension to the top of the pop punk pile. Pop punk pile, I can't say it properly...
After a thought provoking acoustic number Madelyn; the album closer I Just Want To Sell Out My Funeral is a stroke of genius. The Wonder Years borrow their name from a late 80's TV show about an older Fred Savage looking back at his childhood. It is now pretty evident what Soupy's favourite TV box set collection is of. In I Just Want To Sell Out My Funeral there is an individual song and it is very good but it is what happens afterwards that made me smile like a bloody idiot. The song suddenly jumps to an exact copy of There, There, then Screen Door, then Dismantling Summer. By looking back through the songs played on the record what they have done is create nostalgia within the record, not just in your memories of childhood that The Wonder Years bring back to life. That is everything The Wonder Years is about. And it is this ingenuity that will see them only get bigger and bigger.
You need this. Right now.
9/10
Seb Wainwright
Twitter: @Get_WhatYouGive
Seb Wainwright
Twitter: @Get_WhatYouGive
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