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FIVES: THE BEST WONDER YEARS SONGSThis week Lansdale, Pennsylvania’s The Wonder Years released their fourth album - ‘The Greatest Generation,’ a record that sees the pop punk quintet reach their creative peak in a number of ways. With a wealth of material in their discography, Already Heard's Sean Reid and Tom Knott took on the tricky task of picking out the five best songs from The Wonder Years. Find out what we picked and let us know if you agree or disagree?
INTERVIEW: MALLORY KNOXFollowing the release of their superb 'Signals' album, Mallory Knox have certainly become ones to watch in recent months. We caught up with the band to discuss joining Search & Destroy Records, how vital the festival season and touring are, what it feels like to be a part
of the expanding British rock scene and much more.
ALREADY HEARD RECOMMENDS: OVER THE OCEANOver The Ocean have crafted a compelling, brooding record with their latest effort ‘Be Given To The Soil.’ With intense specific precision and delicate accuracy that echoes the likes of Explosions In The Sky and Sigur Ros. Jesse Hill from the band to discusses how the
album came together, the importance of precision, being compared to post-rock pioneers and more.
VERSUS: BRING ME THE HORIZON - 'THERE IS A HELL...' VS 'SEMPITERNAL'After a top ten UK album and an outstanding UK tour with festival dates on both sides of the Atlantic to follow, Bring Me The Horizon are having a fantastic 2013 and are now featured in the latest edition of "Versus." It's ‘There is a Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There is a Heaven, Let’s Keep it a Secret’ vs the bands latest release, 'Sempiternal.'
ALREADY HEARD TRACK GUIDE: ALEXANDER - SAY HELLOWe catch up with Newcastle Indie Rock quartet Alexander to find out more about their debut album 'Say Hello' for a “Already Heard Track Guide” feature.
INTERVIEW: TITLE FIGHTHaving briefly returned to the UK for the Hit The Deck Festival before starting a European
tour, we caught up with vocalist/bassist Ned Russin to discuss the bands progression in sound, differences between UK and US festivals, their recent split with Touché Amoré,
having friends on tour and more.
Album Review: The Motel Life - Those Bruises
It has been over two years since The Motel Life released their début album but now with new EP ‘Those Bruises,’ they are back to infect a wider audience with their melodic pop-punk sound.
The EP opens with ‘House.’ The song starts delicately, with sombre and enticing vocals in the style of Fun. before exploding into a joyous crescendo of feedback and catchy guitar hooks. It is a bold and enjoyable way to start. Next is ‘Doctor’s Note’ is another slice of bass-led pop-punk that again emulates a sound similar to Fun. or Motion City Soundtrack. The Motel Life clearly have big ambitions with their sound that the songs back up those ambitions.
‘Bruises’ is a slower, ballad-esque song of love and hurt. It bears the scars of past relationships and has the sorrowful and spiteful edge of ‘Almost Here’ era The Academy Is… and is a highlight of the EP. Mike Escanuelas sounds like William Beckett too, a powerful voice with authority but also an air of sexiness about it.
‘Just Leave’ also shares certain characteristics with The Academy Is… as the intricate and interloping guitar riffs meander astride each other as dazzling vocals weave their way through the song.The narrative unfolds perfectly in line with the music and it certainly makes this a highlight of the EP.
Closer ‘Cold Hands’ returns to the balladry of ‘Bruises’ and proves a fitting way for the album to fade out in a melee of angst. ‘Those Bruises’ proves to be a well-rounded EP but also leaves the listener wanting more.
Overall, this is an enjoyable return from The Motel Life. Each song is distinct and well-crafted. Most songs stand up to repeated listens with some remaining firmly lodged in your mind for a long while after. A must listen for fans of clever and emotional pop-punk and worth checking out for others. I await the full-length eagerly!
3.5/5
‘Those Bruises’ by The Motel Life is available now as a free download on Bandcamp.
The Motel Life links: Official Website|Facebook|Twitter|Soundcloud|Bandcamp
Words by Tom White
