Review Summary: A memorable final EP from a band that could've done so much more with themselves.
It’s a sad moment when you hear that one of your favorite bands are calling it quits. Knowing that you’ll never hear another new song or get to enjoy their stage presence at one of their shows, it’s one of the most upsetting things. This is exactly how I felt when I realized that Jersey based Van Atta High was not going to release their full length record, and instead release a final EP and be done from there. What’s even more upsetting is that this band could have gone so much farther, being signed by Tragic Hero Records was a huge deal for the band, and after they put out the “Doin’ Somethin’ Right” EP, it was all supposed to get better from there.
“Love Blitz: United” features four songs that the band is proud enough of to release as their last stand. Though originally meant to be the bands first full-length, the band didn’t just give up and write pointless songs. Instead they created four well crafted songs which rank pretty close to some of the bands best stuff. Opener ‘Jury Duty’ does a great job of proving how much this band has matured, while still maintaining their pop-punk sound, the band shows signs of growing up and evolving into more of a rock sound. Vocalist Steve Kellner has the average higher pitched tone which were used to hearing in the genre, but he does a great job with range throughout the album.
‘DTF’ opens with the lines “What do you do/When you think about me/Do you touch yourself and wonder”, but don’t just judge by the opening moments, for the song has a chorus that’s very easy to sing along with and those open lines repeat through those choruses. This song is the catchiest song on the album, and the little synth effects mixed with the soft pop-punk feel make for a great listen. ‘Little Fingers’ shows Kellner at his best vocally, and the band at it’s best lyrically. This song mixes up the bands sound a bit, the slower moments are great and the random synth do an awesome job of showing that the band has a little bit of variety.
‘Knight’ is the perfect song to throw on a mix album for a girlfriend or somebody you really like. It’s a slow, easy listen that does a great job of ending the EP. Though I am a little disappointed at how the band decides to end their final EP on a slower note, but it’s perfectly appropriate. It’s a fun song to sing to someone, and it’s memorable. As the song comes to an end, I realize that this album is the end for Van Atta High, and all the shows I’ve seen that they played and all the times I listened to them bring up good memories. “Love Blitz: United” is a solid final EP and is Van Atta High at it’s strongest point. It’s sad that they ended on this note, since they could’ve taken all of this and grown even further.
