Keeping it tantalisingly short and sweet, Macclesfield pop punks Best Years have depicted the three best phases of the summer through the eyes of a ‘Drop Out’.
Arguably the most endearing aspect of pop punk is its unfathomable ability to accompany downtrodden, down-hearted lyrical content with sickeningly optimistic fretwork. ‘Drop Out’ sequences the typical heartbroken kid’s journey to accepting that days gone by are in the past for a reason. Its only crime, however, is its brevity. A teaser of three songs of beautiful harmony proves beyond all doubt that Best Years are perfectionists with good reason, and quality certainly prevails over quantity.
Consistently presenting the electric chemistry of the band, ‘Built To Last’ and its anthem to moving on fidgets like a socially-awkward kid at a bus stop, shoe-gazing to avoid making eye contact with his surroundings so he can continue existing in blissful ignorance.
“You know you’ve only got a few more years of this shit, before everything goes wrong and reality hits,” calls out the blunt contagion of ‘Overrated’. Lyrical bleakness aside, their phenomenal guitar work is a thing of beautiful mastery, easily rivalling the big names for catchiness.
Closing the party criminally early, ‘Back Then’ flings its past firmly over its shoulder, a reflective ode to a love lost and no longer welcome back. With gang vocals and noodling guitars to boot, this is definite proof that there’s no home for sprawling metaphors and heartfelt sorrow in this band – get to the point and you’ll save yourself a considerable amount of blood, sweat and tears.
With the musical maturity of a band twice their age, Best Years have eradicated the necessity for a few years of aimless meandering in favour of throwing caution and inconsequential fillers to the wind. ‘Drop Out’ is a perfectly succinct statement of their intent – you can almost picture the pizza and slushie sprawled beside the paddling pool.
4.5/5
’Drop Out’ EP by Best Years is out now.
Best Years links: Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp
Words by Ali Cooper (@AliZombie_)
