Album Review: Bright And Early - Louder Than Words EP

With so many bands trying to become the next New Found Glory, pop-punk has been plagued with an uneasy sameness which hardly seems to bother many listeners. I, however, feel there has been little to take out of this new scene that goes anywhere close to trying something different. Enter Bright and Early, a band that loosely plays by the conventions of pop-punk while avoiding clichés and flirting with other genres.

Their debut EP 'Louder Than Words' makes for a confident and exciting statement for the band. The New Jersey boys open with 'Good Things End', an anger fuelled energic number solidly funnelled by good musicianship and a good deal of vocal effort. The band trade moshpit worthy breakdowns for pop sensibility without becoming generic. 'Something Personal' is a gritty attack on the pop-punk scene and scenesters with some heavy but oh-so-enjoyable name-dropping. They manage to keep their melodic lines interesting by using a nice array of vocal variation and packing the punch and energy necessary to make their rant credible. The tapping solo is a nice touch.

'Slow One' decidedly revels in being the most emotionally-packed offering on the EP, but thankfully they avoid the 'mandatory overacted dramatic performance ballad' by making more of a 'surprising powerhouse of a rock ballad'. The song is definitely more alternative-rock oriented, but since it means compelling instrumental work and effective songwriting, it could hardly be held against them. In comparison, 'A Wasted Life' contains yet another memorable chorus and more creativity in the verse department (on every level) but still feels like the lesser song on the EP, mainly because of the great achievements that are the opening three tracks. 'Nik Nac' hits the target yet again bursting to life with a guitar-harmony-generous opening segment and more catchy instrumental work.

It's good to see a band trying out different things (especially so early in their career), and Bright And Early pull it off with major gusto. However, as creative and praise-worthy as they are, Bright And Early do lack challenging music. That certainly doesn't mean it's bad, it's even very good, but for a band boasting an intent to be different, it might be a good step forward for whatever comes next.

3.5/5

'Louder Than Words EP' by Bright and Early is available now and can be purchased via Bandcamp.



Bright and Early on MySpace

James Berclaz-Lewis