There’s always a danger that punk bands which show growth get turned on by the diehard fans. New York’s Timeshares built up a fervent following with their debut ‘Bearable’, a glorious amalgam of gruff punk sing-alongs and pop-punk melodies. But there was always an inkling that they didn’t want to be confined by scenes or genres. A split with New Jersey oiks Luther pointed at a growth in sound, but even then, most would be surprised at the continued jump achieved on ‘Already Dead’.
Fortunately, the heart of what makes Timeshares so likeable still beats strong. ‘State Line To State Line’ features a gorgeous lyrical twist about Hemingway making whores poetic, for example – while the song itself remains as infectious and fist-pumpingly exciting as you’d hope.
But touchstones of their new, refined sound come thick and fast. Like when Gameface moved seamlessly from pop-punk to creating banging heart-on-sleeve emo-rock, or Chamberlain emerged from the ashes of hardcore band Split Lip to make punked-up alt-country, both bands point at the growth made by Timeshares. Needless to say, it’s a jump that suits them perfectly.
Indeed, such confidence shines bright on the buzzing pop-punk hit ‘Tail Light’ or the outstanding ‘Heavy Hangs’ (which remarkably recalls both Gameface and Chamberlain at their best), while ‘(Corner of) Park And Park’ strays into early Counting Crows territory – but actually sounds pretty great because of it. In fact, anyone who can match Adam Duritz vocally deserves recognition regardless of what you think about the stadium filling rockers.
And I think that’s one of the greatest success of ‘Already Dead’; there’s a timelessness about it that was clearly missing from their previous effort. Any of the songs on ‘Already Dead’ could have been written by Paul Westerberg or Art Alexakis or Rocky Votolato and would fit into their respective canons and you wouldn’t bat an eyelid if you discovered differently.
If there’s one criticism it’s that there’s not quite enough variety, and even though the song-writing remains spectacularly high throughout, a couple more changes of pace would have worked perfectly. That said, every single song is a real killer, although both ‘The Bad Parts’ and ‘Sister’ steal the show.
Overall, there’s little to dislike about ‘Already Dead’. Fun, heartfelt and grounded in every-day life, it is relatable and charmingly written, with just enough punch and kick to appeal to older fans and drag plenty of new ones along for the ride. It certainly warrants your attention and time.
4/5
‘Already Dead’’ by Timeshares is out now on SideOneDummy
Timeshares links: Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp
Words by Rob Mair (@BobNightMair)
