Review Summary: Tonight Alive follow up 2011's "What Are You So Scared Of?" with an excellent showcase of passion, sunlight and pure pop punk.
Tonight Alive, a pop punk quintet from Australia, never had much to worry about from the get-go. The powerfully alluring vocals of Jenna McDougall is a hand in glove fit for the quality musicianship of lead guitarist Whakaio Taahi, rhythm guitarist Jake Hardy, drummer Matt Best and bassist Cam Adler. Together, the group has the foundation and the talent to be something special and to remain relevant for years to come.
2011's "What Are You So Scared Of?" was a solid full-length debut for this group, and while it left a little to be desired, it helped the group establish themselves as a potential long-term mainstay in the pop punk scene. Raw and leaving untapped potential, Tonight Alive goes all in on this effort and it pays off in every way.
Fans familiar with the group and first-time listeners will bang their heads to the tune of opening track "The Ocean", a lyrically galvanizing track. ("I'm just waiting for the walls inside of me to come clean/I've been praying for the day that my spirit is finally free.") The album picks up a head of steam with "Don't Wish", which is the first real evident example of the hand in glove fit mentioned earlier. The genuine musicianship is the perfect compliment to McDougall's elegant and graceful vocals. Warped Tour scene kids, get ready to jump to the tune of "Lonely Girl", a bubbly song in nature though containing lyrical content that would make dry eyes go wet at an acoustic set. This also proves the value and marketability of this group as a pop punk mainstay. They have the stadium value that will make the over-inflated ticket prices worth it, while still possessing the ability to translate these tracks into an acoustic set.
Another proverbial igniter for angst-riddled teens is hard-hitter "The Fire." ("I won't go without a fight/You can't stop me.") McDougall lets the group take their foot off the pedal just a tad as she puts critics on notice with standouts like "Hell and Back" and title track "The Other Side." McDougall's voice is so genuine and so free-flowing, it's hard not to fall in love with these tracks. She's quite adept at taking any song and bringing it to life. Tonight Alive certainly have the catchy hooks that make them a must-see act among Warped Tour fans.
So, it's not much of a stretch at all to say this album was an improvement from "What Are You So Scared Of?" The group establish themselves, they go about this album the right way, and the end result is something that will have their discography flying off the shelves.
