Review Summary: Got lost in this free world, remembered who we were, and it brought us back to where we are now.
It’s always a little hard for a band to find its voice. Sometimes one will perfect it from the get-go. Others may never find it. While there was only a very small amount of material released before their debut album, The Story So Far’s early catalogue makes for an interesting listen. They showcase a very rough and unrefined version of their current sound, not quite hitting any highs and wearing their influences on their sleeves.
While You Were Sleeping, the band’s first EP after signing to Pure Noise Records, is perhaps the closest they’d gotten to their true sound. Consider it a proto-
Under Soil And Dirt.
What’s noticeable from the start is that The Story So Far have improved leaps and bounds from their demo tape,
5 Songs. “Just Like You Said” starts off slowly but quickly moves into a groove, presenting an energy and feel not unlike “Quicksand” off
Under Soil And Dirt. Parker Cannon replaces his old sneer for his trademark yelling, a change for the better. The new vocals suit the songs better, setting up the framework for the huge choruses beloved by fans on later albums. The instrumentation also got brought a step up from the demos. The guitars and drumming flow into each other more fluidly, working in more complex riffs and fills (for pop-punk standards). The lyricism present is less aimless than previous work, yet still doesn’t reach the quality of later work.
While You Were Sleeping doesn’t mark any milestones or break any records but it does show huge improvement and a trajectory for better things from The Story So Far. The replay value sure isn’t high, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t a great listen every now and then.
