Review Summary: One for the fans, and the fans only.
As some may know, A Day To Remember are quite popular in the post-hardcore scene. Although I myself don’t really classify them as that, the majority of fans do so I might as well go with that. Anyway, Homesick is the third official (excluding re-released albums) from ADTR, and strays from their previous two albums ‘And Their Name Was Treason’ and ‘For Those Who Have Heart’. Is this a good thing? Well, one thing is for certain, it is definitely one for the fans, and the fans only.
Now let’s start with the pros of the album. Each song seems to flow well into each other, and they don’t ever seem to be out of place. There are some heavy songs, some not so heavy songs, and the way the tracks are listed is done fairly well. The starting track, ‘The Downfall Of Us All’ introduces the listener to what the album’s songs will be: Jeremy’s signature ‘I’m two different people’ screams/vocals, Tom Denney’s guitar is something you’ll always notice, Josh Woodard’s bass line is low but sexy and Alex Shelnutt’s drums are consistent throughout the album. Songs like ‘I’m Made Of Wax Larry, What Are You Made Of?’ and ‘My Life For Hire’ showcase this very well, and are songs that are easily remembered. All of the songs seem to be different but the same however, and that’s where things go wrong.
Although this album is definitely different from the rest of their previous work, it seems to move towards more ‘clichéd’ post-hardcore. The album has the ever-famous chugga-chug breakdowns, and it’s not only in one song, but nearly every song on the album. Only a couple of songs (‘Have Faith In Me’, ‘If It Means A Lot To You’, and even then they’re the ‘light’ songs) don’t have a breakdown, and the breakdowns get very tire very quickly. Although the breakdowns aren’t out of place, they happen so often they make you want to skip the song to get away from it.
But even then, the album is still great. All the songs blend with each other, the lyrics are somewhat meaningful (although it would take Alex Turner of The Artic Monkeys to decipher it) and the album makes you want to bob your head. Although the album lacks originality, the album is definitely one for the fans, and the fans only.
