Veara

What We Left Behind

Written by: PP on 14/01/2011 22:30:37

New Found Glory clones are a dime a dozen, but occasionally you run across one whose choruses are too infectious to be ignored, energy levels too high to not catch your attention, and whose attitude is in the right place to win you over. Cue in bands like Fireworks, Four Year Strong, Me Vs Hero and so forth, who have each successfully emulated the classic New Found Glory sound, merging it with pop-hardcore breakdowns and high-octane tempo all around. Let me introduce you to the next success story, Veara from Georgia, who impressed me enough during the Eastpak Antidote tour supporting Sum 41 to give their album a shot.

I'm glad I did. Even though "What We Left Behind", their sophomore album, is essentially a shameless rewrite of New Found Glory's latest opus "Not Without A Fight" from start to finish, it's still pretty damn good. The guitars are crunchy, but drenched in melody, plus they are executed with stupendous energy levels that, when experienced live, are bound to get you off your feet bouncing up-and-down. Some are heavier than others, such as "My B-Side Life", which sounds like it was stolen from A Day To Remember circa "Homesick", but most of the time Veara concentrate on infectious pop punk with a distinct hardcore base. They have less pop-hardcore breakdowns than bands like The Wonder Years and Me Vs Hero, but a far greater load on sugar-coated, honest sing-along choruses that are perfect for a summer cruise alongside the channel here in Copenhagen. Sometimes they experiment with the sound slightly, such as on "Waste My Time", where they sound like Boys Night Out just without the screams, but really, the vast majority of the record is sunshine state pop-hardcore from start to finish.

Although sounding just like New Found Glory is one of Veara's strengths, it's ultimately also their largest problem. The songs are all catchy and enjoyable from start to finish, however, they aren't quite up there with New Found Glory. Bands like With The Punches and The Wonder Years took it to another level on their respective releases by differentiating from the sound, whereas Veara's songs are just good, fun, enjoyable pop punk songs that sound like NFG but not much more than that. That being said, I wouldn't mind popping on "What We Left Behind" from time to time, simply because it has a number fist-pumping, high-energy songs that'll uplift your mood and remind you of summer. Sign me up for tickets to their live show anytime.

7

Download: My B-Side Life, We Have A Body Count
For the fans of: New Found Glory, Four Year Strong, A Day To Remember, Fireworks
Listen: Myspace

Release date 25.05.2010
Epitaph

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