As It Is - I Went To Hell And Back
Label: Fearless Records
Press release: Transatlantic trio, As It Is — Patty Walters, Ronald Ish, and Alistair Testo — have today announced their brand new album. I WENT TO HELL AND BACK, will be released on February 4th 2022 via Fearless Records. The album might have come to life over a two year period where Testo, Walters and Ish questioned their life choices and wrestled with a world in a constant throng of chaotic uncertainty, but the band’s fourth album couldn’t sound more excited. The fourteen tracks are powerful, and fearlessly chase the unexpected. It’s the sound of a band still having fun.
My thoughts: As It Is have never been shy about changing their sound around the pop-punk genre. Their first album on Fearless was a great batch of modern pop-punk songs (at the time) akin to Neck Deep and The Story So Far, they followed that up with a throwback pop-rock sounding record in Okay before going full MCR for their last release. On this newest release they take their previous two albums and smash them together while adding 808's and other elements of modern production on top. The album is a mixed bag for sure once through but there is enough high's (I Miss 2003, I Lie To Me) to come back and with the chances they took here it definitely has some enduring potential.
Comeback Kid - Heavy Steps
Label: Nuclear Blast
Press release: Today, one of the biggest names in modern hardcore, COMEBACK KID announce their seventh studio album, "Heavy Steps" will be released January 21, 2022 via Nuclear Blast worldwide (and New Damage Records in Canada). Although the members of the band are currently residing on different sides of the country in Vancouver and Toronto, the band decided to write and record their latest effort in the band’s originating city of Winnipeg, Manitoba at Private Ear Recording Studio and once again enlisted the services of producer John Paul Peters who recorded the band’s debut album "Turn It Around". In addition to co-production by Peters, on "Heavy Steps", COMEBACK KID collaborated with prominent Grammy award-winning mixer and long-time fan of the band Will Putney. "Heavy Steps" is no longer a prerequisite to realizing COMEBACK KID’s influence on modern punk, but a delivery of pure anthemic chaos, sheer speed and force. It is a statement of intent.
My thoughts: For those that miss "Wake The Dead" era Comeback Kid, firstly their output has never been weak (maybe Broadcasting...), secondly check out Shadow Of A Doubt that sees Comeback Kid play in their old sandbox. Gang Vocals are ever present especially on the title track and Comeback Kid's production has never sounded cleaner. It's not all sugar and rainbows as I still can't get behind Crossed but Comeback Kid has positioned themselves as the best hardcore band from the early 00's onwards.
William Ryan Key - Everything Except Desire
Label: Equal Vision Records
Press release: Titled Everything Except Desire, the upcoming EP from the former Yellowcard vocalist is his brand new solo effort and is scheduled to be released in February next year, via Equal Vision Records/Rude Records. The upcoming EP was conceived and produced by Key on a month-to-month basis through Patreon at the start of Summer 2020. Speaking about the upcoming EP, Key says, “ever since I started making my own music, I think I’ve been searching for what became Everything Except Desire. I took a risk and created something completely unlike anything I’ve released in the past. This record felt like a big step for me both as a writer and a producer.”
My thoughts: I haven't really liked any of WRK's EP's to date. I understand he's trying to distance himself from "singer of Yellowcard" moniker and it's hard to do that if you pump out songs that sound like Yellowcard but this was clearly an attempt to do just that and practice with a bunch of new toys as a producer. WRK will always be among my favourite songwriters but with a 5.5 minute instrumental to lead off the album and a closer that has minimal lyrics to it. Brighton is a 6 minute song that could've been shorter but actually has some instruments on it (or sounds like it anyways).
