I’ve got to put this out there; I’m not that keen on Emo or Pop-Punk. So why did I review this release from Sheffield’s Pale Sailor when right up in their email to us was the phrase ‘Emo/Pop-Punk’. Well, this may sound shallow, but there were two things that made me take a listen. The first was the song title and the second the band’s name (that does sound shallow – Ed). I fully admit that this is way shallow but when I was faced with a list of possible reviews that was somewhat long I had to have some way of getting a shortlist.
The thing is, I’m actually pleased that something about the release caught my eye because what I heard was something that was way more raucous than I expected. It leans way more punky than I expected and I love raucous and punky.
It has a singalong tune in that kinda pop-punk way but it’s full of out there guitar that’s raw but at the same time full of what I can only describe as pure fun. The band relish in the sound of guitars at the edge of ragged. Ragged but at the same time nuanced and intricate.
Other things to love; well there’s the drumming and the vocal. The drumming matches the guitar in rawness. And why I love the vocal I can’t really put a finger on, I just do. There’s an edge to it; a sound of unease that fits the song’s subject. The band say ‘it focuses on feeling unsettled and nostalgic in a new home, and a sense of longing for the past’.
The more I listen to this track the more I like it; it’s one of those songs. Like raucous and raw guitar music, this is one for you. Fab stuff.
