A Day To Remember
What Separates Me from You

Release Date: 2010 | Tracklist

When A Day to Remember hit the music scene with their debut release, ‘And Their Name Was Treason’, their unique fusion of pop-punk and hardcore was hailed by some as a bold and well executed step towards musical progression that ultimately paid off, whilst others saw the record as a great dissonance, or as a poorly executed attempt at a potentially good idea. Since then, the band has released two more records, both of which were generally well received, securing a plethora of new fans and haters alike and they have seen their style imitated by an abundance of bands (albeit more often unsuccessfully than not) causing the genre that they helped create to become something of a target of disdain amongst many; discontent with its overproduced nature and the ‘bro-core’ association that has been built up over the years. So with this fourth album, A Day to Remember had something to prove in order to silence the haters and secure their place as a credible band, but did they pull it off?

One could be forgiven for getting the wrong impression from opening track ‘Sticks & Bricks’, a solid post-hardcore track with a strong sing-a-long chorus not too dissimilar to the band’s signature sound. ‘What Separates Me From You’, however, proves to be slightly different from what has come to be expected from the typical A Day to Remember album. Sure the basic elements are still there; blending the infectious melodies of pop-punk with the heaviness and aggression of post-hardcore, creating tracks that are both fun and ‘brutal’, but this time there is something different.

‘What Separates Me From You’ comes across as a more pop-punk orientated album, with only three of the ten tracks being out and out heavy, whilst the others focus on a more mature and radio friendly sound, often ditching the stereotypical chug chug, breakdown laden style that we may have previously come to expect from such a band. This is not to say, however, that those aggressive moments have been completely overshadowed. ‘2nd Sucks’ proves to be the first song in the band’s history that features no clean vocals, whilst many songs incorporate some hardcore ideas into an otherwise poppy soundscape. Furthermore, the production value is far greater than it has been on any previous A Day to Remember release; long gone are the overly prominent trebly bass drum and muddy guitar sounds in favour of something far more well balanced. The addition of new guitarist, Kevin Skaff, also helps to add some more depth to the band’s sound; this being the first group’s first record that doesn’t see lead vocalist Jeremy McKinnon singing all his own backing vocals.

With ‘What Separates Me From You’, A Day to Remember have proven that they can release a strong, sleek and mature CD whilst securing their place as a credible band in a scene that would normally suggest otherwise. No doubt, the band will see more commercial success than ever before in the coming years and continue to grow in stature whilst hopefully not compromising their signature sound in the process, but instead honing it and progressing as they have done here.

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3.1 good

Rank: #0 for 2010