Forever After should just about catch the tail end of this beautiful summer we’ve been having when ‘Just Another Year’ drops. An EP difficult to pigeonhole, it falls somewhere between the massive pop punk choruses of early 2000s California and riffs that would fit right in the Pacific Northwest of the early 90s, to give us this 2014 stomper straight out of Essex. Opener ‘She’s Leaving’ is huge. Starting with a riff direct from the Kurt Cobain cookbook before slipping through a neat verse and launching into a sing-along chorus the track sets up for what will follow. ‘Miles Away’ is more of the same but even smoother in its transition from riff to storming chorus.
‘Inhaling, Failing’ is a little reminiscent in parts of Basement’s ‘Bad Apple’, but that’s not a complaint. Sometimes good songs sound like other good songs. It’s another strong offering and as it builds to a mighty final chorus complete with some sweet lead I’m hooked. ‘Throw It All Away’ fills the void and is perhaps the most interesting song on show. The chorus is enormous, the backing vocals a little too low in the mix for me to actually grab my skateboard and run outside, but it’s still magnificent and in my head, for two minutes, I can actually skate.
‘Twenty Two’ closes and is fantastic. I know people who would detest it for all the same reasons I like it so much. It’s unashamed in its pop punk influences and only disappointing in that all the songs that influenced it would have hit the chorus one more time at the end. It’s all covered though – catchy as sin with enough impressive guitar work that even the most amateur of air guitarists can get involved at some point throughout. I just really wish it kicked back in on the record like it does in my mind.
Forever After do have work to do. ‘Just Another Year’ is a solid record, granting listening pleasure in abundance, but at times it’s a little too derivative. When they nail it, however, boy, do they nail it and this is a band I’m expecting and excited to hear a lot more of in the future.
3.5/5
’Just Another Year’ EP by Forever After is out now.
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Words by Thomas Knott (@thislifeishuge)
