Special: First Listen Thoughts: Anti-Flag "20/20 Vision", Handguns "When The Light Burns Out" and Echosmith "Lonely Generation"

Before we get to the first non TV show or best of Special since December we have to crown the winner of the TV Show bracket... Drum roll please... Lucifer fought valiantly but in the end it was Suits picking up the W by a handful of votes. Join us next March when Lucifer will look for that elusive win after being 2nd place 2 years in a row.

Anti-Flag - 20/20 Vision

Label: Spinefarm Records

Press Release: With 20/20 Vision the Pittsburgh, PA based band prove that they have plenty of vitriol left, aiming to face the challenges of our chaotic socio-political time head on. Opener “Hate Conquers All” pulls no punches, immediately drawing a line in the sand against the fascistic hate mongering of the Trump administration and making it clear that 20/20 Vision is an album intended to explicitly address the here and now.

My thoughts: Anti-Flag has been at it for 20+ years of protest songs yet they've never actually attacked a president outright but that changes with 20/20 Vision and more specifically Donald Trump in case you missed the artwork. It's an album full of songs about being pissed off but with an optimistic tone that we can make change. The album definitely needs more listens before I can declare it's better than it's predecessor (American Fall) but it's definitely got a shot after one listen.

Handguns - When The Light Burns Out

Label: Self-Released

Press Release: When The Light Burns Out is the fourth LP from Rigatoni Island pop-punk band Handguns and was released on January 1st 2020 at midnight. For this album, the line up from their first 2 EP's Don't Bite Your Tongue and Anywhere but Home were returning to record this album.

My thoughts: For a self-released album this record sounds similar to past label releases from the band so they definitely put the time, effort and money into production. Not their best effort but can certainly come close after more listens as the bones for a memorable pop punk record even if there are a few misses on first listen, something you don't normally want to determine on a first listen but songs like "Liquid Therapy" make that happen but thankfully songs like "Cap Peeler" and "Glass Lanterns" overpower those misses.

Echosmith - Lonely Generation

Label: Self-Released

Press Release: The sibling trio -- comprised of Sydney, Noah and Graham Sierota -- announced their sophomore LP Lonely Generation will be released Jan. 10. It will be the band’s first release under their new Echosmith Music record label, which was founded in 2018 with Warner Music’s Alternative Distribution Alliance.

My thoughts: Blending soft female pop vocals with indie rock melodies generally works but Echosmith makes it work better than most. I was worried with them deciding to self-release their sophmore album, especially nearly 7 years after their debut but they made it work. Only time will tell if Echosmith will return to an upward trajectory or if this is simply the beginning of the end for the band but if you enjoy pop-rock music with a good amount of slow jams mixed in you won't be disappointing with this release.