This Time Next Year

Drop Out Of Life

Written by: PP on 08/01/2012 04:46:17

Bands change over time, but there is always a new band ready to take their place. In the case of New Found Glory, they moved on from their gleeful raw pop punk of their early albums into a more produced, energetic direction later on, especially on their latest album "Radiosurgery". Both are good, but if you ever find yourself missing their sound on the self-titled, "Catalyst" or "Sticks & Stones", then This Time Next Year and their sophomore album "Drop Out Of Life" are for you - check out especially "Living Hell" for a song of that type.

Just like their debut album "Road Maps And Heart Attacks" from two years ago, this is an album designed for the summer months with its upbeat, summery anthems consisting of hook-laden guitars and killer choruses pretty much every song. The riffs are crunchy in the same way as the original second wave pop punk bands around the time New Found Glory came out, while the vocals are sung nasally and are infectiously catchy all-around. They're not reactionary or belong to the 'defend pop punk' camp, they just play unashamed pop punk from the turn of the millennium with their heads held high. And because they embrace their style one hundred percent without the need to prove it to anyone, the songs are immediately convincing and fun to listen to. Of course it helps that Chad Gilbert of New Found Glory produced this album, and no doubt goes a long way in explaining why the record sounds so much like their old produce. In fact, there are several moments where "Drop Out Of Life" sounds like it ripped off from NFG records directly, whether in the form of a guitar hook or a vocal melody with just lyrics exchanged. Check out "My Side Of Town" for a great example - "Dressed To Kill" is one melody line that comes to mind here.

But that doesn't matter. NFG were a great band back then with a great sound that is today considered as the 'classic' pop punk sound. You can't go wrong selecting that as your sound as a new band today, as long as you provide us catchy, sing-alongable songs with memorable melodies, and avoid overproducing them to retain the feeling of warmth that's always been associated with music of this type. That's something This Time Next Year do very successfully on "Drop Out Of Life": the guitars are crunchy and have a raw sound, the choruses infectious, what more can you ask?

8

Download: Living Hell, Modern Day Love Story, Spoontonic, Matchbook
For the fans of: New Found Glory, Fireworks
Listen: Myspace


Release date 27.09.2011
Equal Vision Records

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