Beautiful and yet clashing, this is punk at its core with some extremely catchy moments sandwiched between some noise chords. The album starts with a semi-generic punk rock song in Haunted. In fact, when I first started spinning the record, I almost didn’t review the guys. It’s not that the song isn’t good, it just wasn’t particularly unique.
However, the band follows it up with No News is Good News, which hooked me immediately. From the unique guitar rhythm and drumming to the awesome vocals, (which remind me of Lower than Atlantis) this song opens up an amazing album.
Very moody and consistently moving forward, this album encompasses all that is good about punk music. While there isn’t really any screaming, the singing is angry, and the vocals push right to the edge, like they’re about to break. They never do, and the whole sound comes together. The chunky punk bass and frantic guitar work add a sense of chaos to the whole workings. This is a raw sounding band, with beautiful parts strung together in a chaotic and raw way.
My favorite cut on the entire album is the song Tense. It’s driving and the energy stays up for the entire duration of the piece.
This is the type of music that translates really well live. On the album, it tends to fall into a category of tedium that usually keeps me from reviewing a band. There is very little in terms of variety here, and the band lacks dynamics. It’s pretty much a one-trick pony. It’s a great trick, and they perform this genre of punk/pop very well.
That’s not a damning statement by any means. They are very consistent with their work. With excellent and passionate vocals leading the way, What Resonates is worth a listen if you’re into solid punk in the vein of Lower than Atlantis, Dropkick Murphys, or Bad Religion, with a little twist of Thrice or Thursday.
The professor grades this out to a solid B+.
--The Professor
