I’d like to say I’m old enough not to fall for musical fads and instead appreciate music for what it is. Yet I find myself liking every song that’s come out of this growing pop-core movement (or whatever you want to call it). Bands like Four Year Strong have managed to breathe life into what’s becoming an increasingly plagued pop-punk scene by delivering it a fresh dose of hardcore goodness. You can still churn out some poppy infectious hooks, but you can also balance it out with some destructive double bass pedals and spine-tingling screams. But more importantly, these bands have brought back the intimacy of hardcore shows and the connection between performer and crowd that you can only get when you’ve got the band’s sweat dripping onto your face.
A Day to Remember are the latest up-and-comers in this blossoming music niche. Although they may lack the pizzazz and variety of FYS, their latest single “The Downfall of Us All” encapsulates everything I love about this little genre. The video for the Florida five-piece’s latest opens up with the band getting the crowd to mimic the chugging guitars that blast into the song only seconds later. All of this occurs in front of a makeshift halfpipe-turned-stage, hyping the idea that as long as the crowd is into the performance as much as possible, it doesn’t matter where the hell you’re playing. The rest of the song reminds me of good pop-punk songs that I’ve already heard before, so in that sense “The Downfall Of Us All” ultimately leaves me wanting more. But frontman Jeremy McKinnon’s throaty bellowing of “now go tell them we sold out” at the end of the second verse is almost enough to make up for that. In the end, I give these guys an a A+ for spirit. I know that’s the last thing you’d want to hear from your gym teacher, but I know these guys are capable of delivering so much more.
Like this? Then go vote for A Day to Remember in this week’s Freshmen. The winner gets their video into rotation on mtvU.
