Review Summary: I don't know what you guys honestly expected.
Knuckle Puck isn't anything new. Like, let's look into details here; hailing from Chicago's suburbs, they go on to yell/sing in their EP The Weight That You Buried about girls, how they don't feel well mentally, and the occasional metaphor or simile to help the listener relate. In a sense, it seems like if New Found Glory and old Fall Out Boy's love child, also being the twin of Real Friends. However, that doesn't necessarily mean the EP is bad...
On this 4 song EP, we start out our journey through the punk-pop land of the suburbs to be greeted by the first track, 'Everything Must Go'. The intro with the repeated power chord is simple, yet effective to draw you in. The drum line rolling with bass and toms, now going into the verse with Joe Taylor's powerful voice. Though it seems to be the same formula for a pop punk song, it's not half bad. The vocals stand out from the guitars, which seem rather repetitive. The drums, in my opinion, stand out the most with the immense sounding rolls and fills. So, this song gets a salute. 3/5
Moving onto 'Your Back Porch', the guitars make a comeback. Their melodies and dual harmony give off a more hopeful, faith sounding to Joe's shouts. And with a strong chorus to help support the melodic guitars, this song is a good one as well. This catchy, 3 second thrill ride gives memories of listening to late 90s Epitaph pop punk. 4/5
Now, 'Stateside' is quite well placed to be in the middle of the EP, simply because it's the weakest song on the EP. It follows a slower tempo at the beginning, as the two guitarists simply strum the same chord until Joe's shouts take over. Even though the simple power chord was easy to steal the attention in the beginning of the EP, it's now just a bland sound. Not much of anything new here. Even the vocals aren't the strongest on this track. So, I'd call this a step above a filler. 1.5/5
Annnnd, we're already at the ending? Wow...Anyway, might as well end it right, eh? The last song, No Good, steals the listener’s eardrums and smacks them right across the face with a blistering yell from the frontman. These yells stay there for the majority of the song, only calming down to build back up to a bellowing, pubescent shout. The arpeggio of simple chords gives a nice, head swaying feeling as the bass and drums pound through the final moments of the EP. Excellent ending. 4.5/5
Well, there you have it. Another pop punk band making their stance on how they've felt coming out of their late teens. Their angst and shouts aren't much of a special touch, but it's not like they're bad, just more unoriginal in a way. If you like listening to men in their late teens to early 20s sing about how life sucks at that time, then knock yourself out with these guys. I'm sure you'll get along well.
~Bustamoo
