Head North

Scrapbook Minds EP

Written by: PP on 08/03/2014 17:58:58

"Sad kids making angry music about shit we don't care about." This is how Head North from New York describe themselves on their Bandcamp page, which I feel like is fitting for so many bands these days ranging from Have Mercy to Real Friends and The Dangerous Summer. These are also the bands that by the sounds of it have been the primary influence for "Scrapbook Minds" EP, their sophomore effort. It's an exceptionally raw recording for a pop punk effort, blending together a fusion of alternative rock, indie rock, and even singer-songwriter on the beautiful "Brooklyn's Burning" into the genre to make it stand out from the rest in the style.

That said, on occasion the band lets their inspiration be a little too close to home, such as on "Jake's Apartment", which is a great song on its own if it wasn't practically directly lifted off Have Mercy's wonderful "The Earth Pushed Back". It has an identical nostalgia-driven soundscape that features a great juxtaposition between distant raw vocals and soothing, almost whispered lead vocals. Elsewhere they attempt to form more of an identity for themselves. Opener "Doubts & Deadlines", for instance, is more upbeat and bouncy, but here too the vocals are borderline screamed as a direct contrast to the bright instrumentation, which has been inspired by The Wonder Years and Real Friends in particular.

The whole objective of the EP has seemed to be to write pop punk with depth. The added indie flavor brings to mind The Dangerous Summer more often than not, and their singer sings with a similarly torn, heartbroken tone as the Have Mercy guy most of the time. It has a ton of promise, but the production is still a little too flat for the record to be better than it is right now. But based on the five songs here, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Head North wrote a bombastic debut album next year.

7

Download: Brooklyn's Burning, Endeavors
For the fans of: Have Mercy, The Dangerous Summer, Strange Vacation
Listen: Facebook

Release date 18.02.2014
Self-Released

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