It’s criminal that Our Time Down Here have never really exploded into the mainstream and received the recognition they deserve. Although they’ve gone from playing shouty punk rock for Kid Dynamite fans to Alkaline Trio / Ziggy Stardust tinged pop punk over the last few years they never lost their integrity, and ‘Midnight Mass’ stands as a testament to their ever evolving vision. But is it any good?
The answer to that is simple: Yes. In fact, it is very good. Pop punk sensibilities meet highly personal lyrics on tracks like ‘4 Months’ whilst the name drop of West Quay in ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Tragic’ reminds everyone that OTDH are proudly a product of the south.
<a href=“http://ourtimedownhere.bandcamp.com/album/midnight-mass” data-mce-href=“http://ourtimedownhere.bandcamp.com/album/midnight-mass”>Midnight Mass by Our Time Down Here</a>
That’s not to say this is a flawless album though – some older fans may feel like the choir and sampled rain are a little too indulgent – but to my ears these are simply the sounds of a band that is always evolving. The hidden track should silence these people though as it harks back to the early days with fast drums, furious guitars and classic youth crew vocals. This could easily be the album of 2012.
4.5/5
‘Midnight Mass’ by Our Time Down Here is available now on Take Flight Records.
Our Time Down Here links: Facebook|Twitter|Tumblr|Bandcamp
Words by Richard Heaven (@PFC_Records)
