Fireworks

All I Have To Offer Is My Own Confusion

Written by: PP on 03/04/2009 13:59:34

While most pop punk bands are involved in a never ending race of finding out who can put out the blandest, most overproduced record possible, there are a few in the genre who are still doing the right thing: writing songs from passion, giving the middle finger to high-end production and focusing on composing the best songs possible despite their financial worries. Meet Fireworks, from suburban Detroit, and their debut album "All I Have To Offer Is My Own Confusion", an instantly likable record for anyone who's ever happily moshed to Set Your Goals or sung along to New Found Glory's seminal albums "Nothing Gold Can Stay" or "New Found Glory". It's a record that focuses on killer hooks, and more importantly, on having as much fun as possible without sounding the slightest bit pretentious (A Day To Remember I'm looking at you).

So what we dealing with here specifically? Melodic pop punk hooks in the vein of New Found Glory and 'soft' pop-hardcore breakdowns á la Set Your Goals and Four Year Strong. The vocalist varies between nasal singing akin to New Found Glory's Jordan Pundik and the somewhat rougher, more energetic style as used by Soupy from The Wonder Years. "Holiday" sounds so identical to anything from New Found Glory's self-titled that the song could've easily been on that record. But lets not allow that to bother us, considering the song is monster catchy and full of fun hooks and irresistible vocal lines. "Come Around" follows suit in early New Found Glory imitation, but who am I kidding? I fucking love that band, and since Fireworks are able to do the same sound convincingly, I have absolutely no problem with the lack of originality present here. Actually, much of the early New Found Glory sound can probably be accredited to the fact that Chad Gilbert himself has been handling the production, which has been left nice and raw, with edgy guitars and rough drumming. While that may cost the band style points in the ears of All Time Low fanboys, the reality is that the songs just become that much more energetic and fun when there's room for some sloppy mistakes, off-tune singing and the sort. Throw in songs like "Detroit", which has a "wooah wooah" with The Wonder Years ring to it and the best summer-tinged pop punk chorus I've heard all year, and you can't but love these guys.

The band has really nailed writing catchy hooks and choruses down to an art. If you thought Four Year Strong were okay, but lacked the final punch in the form of irresistable choruses, then Fireworks will feel like an improved version of said band: the choruses are massive, easily singalongable, and there's enough raw guitar and sloppy production for this to appeal to the fans of all old school pop punk. It serves as a great reminder of how pop punk really should sound like, it's all about the big singalongs. Now sing with me, "Woo-ah, woo-ah, you don't need maps when you know where the sidewalk cracks"!

8

Download: Detroit, Holiday, Geography Vonnegut And Me
For the fans of: New Found Glory, Set Your Goals, The Wonder Years, Four Year Strong
Listen: Myspace

Release date 24.03.2009
Triple Crown

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