Review Summary: Pop goes the Post-Hardcore.
Pop-Punk as a genre is a bit silly. The gap between
good and
bad bands is quite scary. The genre is so broad that it takes a scholar to get to the bottom of it and believe it or not, I am not a scholar. I really like ‘The Wonder Years’ and think they are the best
current Pop-Punk band, lots of people will disagree with that and that’s ok but at least you know where bellovddd stands.
‘Alive In Standby’ were a short-lived Pop-Punk band that mixed in a decent amount of Post-Hardcore goodness to their very
soulful take on the genre. Opening track ‘Punch My Face’ is kind of misleading. One would believe you are listening to a ‘Four Year Strong’ rip-off and whilst comparisons can be made and are valid, there is a lot more to ‘Never Ending’ then riffs and gang vocals.
Lead vocalist Chris Koo has a solid voice and one that stands out in the Pop-Punk genre for lacking that whiny nasally inflection that really rules the scene. His voice carries a nice amount of grit but more pleasantly a huge amount of
soul which he busts out for the first time on ‘After Hours’ a keyboard driven pop track that works despite some real cliché lyrics. Chris’s voice is the driving force here and it’s no surprise that the rest of the band take a backseat to the melodies and lines he produces.
The unsung hero of the band is bassist/unclean vocalist Koda Hult. Whilst his appearances on the record are minimal, when he does appear he completely changes the dynamic of the band and his uncleans are low and impressive. ‘The Thought Of You’ left me wanting to hear more of him after he tore apart the breakdown and ‘Weigh You Down’ is the best song ‘Issues’ never released. The
heavier moments on the album are when it feels like the band really come together and are not just leaning back on the vocals of Chris. ‘Not Aware’ producing the best riffing and instrumental pieces on the whole album with a nice heavy breakdown towards the end of the track.
‘Never Ending’ is the debut and only album Alive In Standby dropped and whilst it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, they tickle a sweet spot that bands like ‘Four Year Strong’ ‘A Day To Remember’ and ‘Issues’ try their best to itch but they miss the mark, and plus, this doesn’t have Tyler.
