There’s been a shift in pop-punk over the last few years. The genre, once dominated with tales of young love and the occasional poop joke, has found itself trying to be taken seriously. The influence of emo music has seen songwriters get introspective for the most part, and whether you like the older style or not, there’s definitely a place for it.

This is where Denver’s One Flew West come in. Their new EP ‘Trial and Error’ sees the band take cues from bands such as Say Anything and The Starting Line to create a nostalgic early 2000s sound. Driven largely by pop hooks and an acoustic lead, One Flew West have created an infectious collection of songs.

The EP opens with its title track, a fun, bouncy song that sounds like a protest of the current climate in America. It’s done subtly enough that it’s not jarring, and, minus the expletives in the chorus, there’s not a doubt that this would have made the radio some ten to fifteen years ago. So, despite the poppy layer, there’s definitely some punk in this band.

The rest of the EP moves along in a similar fashion, with an acoustic intro giving way to a full band explosion of a chorus, each one dealing with a different issue. There’s the typical growing up song in ‘What Do I Know’, while ‘Best Worst Thing’ brings in what appears to be the relationship song.

The most unique song on ‘Trial and Error’ is ‘Staying In’, in which the band abandon their pop-punk sound for an interesting hybrid between grunge, alt-rock and country. It shows that the band aren’t afraid to break their confines and is the most memorable track here.

With strong showings like ‘Trial and Error’, it should be no surprise to assume One Flew West have a great career ahead of them with the potential for some serious mainstream success.

3.5/5

‘Trial and Error’ EP by One Flew West is released on 26th January.

One Flew West links: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram

Words by Ben Mills (@BenMills28)