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Banquets

Banquets

Written by: PP on 04/06/2013 22:53:40

Ever since The Story So Far arrived at the scene with Parker Cannon's deliberately over-the-top emotional vocal expression, many bands have been if not outright emulating their sound, then at least playing a very similar style. Banquets is from the same wave of bands, having released their debut album in 2011, which was a gritty, gravelly punk rock release especially in the guitar department. For their self-titled sophomore album, they've shifted more towards The Story So Far and their brethren, opting for a sound a little more polished and more melodic instead.

It's a natural evolution of a band that has suddenly been given a bigger production budget, so the roughened edges of the guitars have been ironed out in favour of a more The Story So Far-esque emotionally powerful pop punk sound. The vocals are more melodic, if somewhat angsty, but this is a good change as it pushes him in exactly the same direction as Cannon in the sense that the emotional prowess in his voice is at times overwhelming. Moreover, he has an uncanny ability to turn emo-esque melodies into impossibly catchy ones, especially on "Big Big Waves", "Call It A Comeback" and "Fade From Gold" to name but a few examples. The first one is an upbeat song that layers melody upon a melody to the point of explosion, the next one opens with a slower pace and an instantly memorable gang-shouted lead melody, and the latter is just flat-out catchy pop punk from the polished, yet still bouncy end of the spectrum.

For a band that doesn't really do anything much original on their sophomore album, Banquets have managed to deliver a soundscape that, at least at the ears of this scribe, is more memorable and catchy than the much-acclaimed TSSF album earlier this year. If you're a fan of one you'll be a fan of the other, so check this out if you're into angsty, emotionally charged pop punk with catchy melodies.

Download: Call It A Comeback, Big Big Waves, Fade From Gold, Bums In The Breeze
For the fans of: The Story So Far, Junior Battles, The Swellers, Punchline
Listen: Facebook

Release date 07.05.2013
Black Numbers / Disconnect Disconnect Records