Review Summary: Die hard pop-punk fans will find "Finders Keeper" a breath of fresh air in an over crowded genre.
Skyway are a pop-punk band from Australia who are not well known outside of their country. This is perhaps to a lack of any touring in other countries. The band gained popularity by supporting The Amity Affliction along with Bring Me The Horizon on TAA's *** The Reaper Tour back in 2010. After a couple EP releases, Skyway released their debut LP, 'Finders Keepers' in 2011 to positive reception. The band toured Australia as an opening act for Parkway Drive in support of their record.
From the opening track, "Losers Weepers," we are given a very good idea of what to expect, and that is catchy pop-punk with more emphasis on punk. The song is very short, clocking in under a minute, but it manages to have a lot of meat to it ending with a guitar solo. "Birthdays (Are For Sluts and Losers)" is the first single off the album and it proves to be one of the best. It demonstrates Skyway's ability to give infectious hooks with an emphasis on the punk side of the band. "And The Toe-Tag Will Read Sell Out," the only song from their EP 'Nauseating Suburbia,' has a couple of slight changes and it fits into the album nicely. This track also has a lot of '90's punk influences, which works to perfection. The band does much of the same, however there are a couple tracks that stand out from the rest. The first one is called "Words With Friends" which features stand out guest vocals from One Dollar Short's Scott Woods. His voice contradicts nicely with Dan's higher pitched vocals and it adds to the bands sound in a very positive way. Another stand out is Skyway's version of A Day To Remember, "You Promised Me The World, But Gave Me An Atlas." This song features none other than Winston McCall from Parkay Drive on vocals. The song also features prominent guitar riffs. Winston's vocals, as well as a very well placed breakdown, give the album some diversity and proves to be one of the album's highlights. The MVP of the band without a doubt is drummer Ben Hallet. His drumming is simply astounding. His pop-punk style drumming is one of the best in the genre, but he also manages to pull off other drumming styles such as metalcore.
Skyway's debut album is the perfect album to get pop-punk out of the rut that the genre has been stuck in for quite some time. The album blends several different styles of punk all the while staying true to their pop-punk sound. Die hard pop-punk fans will find "Finders Keeper" a breath of fresh air in an over crowded genre that has more mediocre bands than good ones. Skywayvare a pop-punk force to be reckoned with in the future.
