Review Summary: Seek out Consider This.
Fit For Rivals. Paramore. Courage My Love. Tonight Alive. There are many more bands, but these are just some examples of female-fronted, angst-ridden pop/punk bands that've taken today's musical scene, and some have infiltrated multiple facets of pop culture (Paramore, for example). While Tonight Alive is much more obscure then the contemporaries listed above, don't let that turn you off.
Consider This is a fun, bombastic EP that succeeds in being a heavily enjoyable pop/punk record, without leaning on the shoulders of a band like Paramore.
Lead vocalist Jenna McDougall leads the band's energetic push with a punchy, raw, sarcastic tone that still remains smooth and quite pleasant to the ears (something that FFR could take a lesson from). Jenna does draw some comparison to Hayley Williams (and yes, she's hot), but ultimately sounds just a slight bit deeper than the latter. As for the rest of the band, they all seem to rock harder their contemporaries, often drawing more reminders to post-hardcore with dark, pounding riffs and surprisingly punchy drums. However, TA does keep the volume level down for the pop/punk lover ("My Favorite Thing") is a fantastic cool-down after the pushing "5 Years" and "Wasting Away". Guitarists Jake Hardy and Whakaio Taahi are depended upon for songs like "Wasting Away" and "Revenge And Its Thrills", managing to seriously spice up the EP. The rhythm section isn't awful, and there are some fun drums fills (especially in "Revenge and It's Thrills"), but it's not quite enough to leave a lasting impression.
Like Paramore, TA carries a penchant for clever wordplay, wordplay that is crafty enough to hide the pure simplicity of the themes of finding yourself ("Wasting Away"), young love ("5 Years"), and dark times in life ("Revenge And It's Thrills"). Well, CT still remains a fantastic EP that truly displayed the potential that Tonight Alive carried in their early material. If you need a nice pop/punk fix, seek out
Consider This immediately.
