Review Summary: Average is as average does
Bryanstars has been the talk of the town lately; having established a cult following on YouTube for a combination of admittedly funny interviews, weird v-logs with various other Youtubers, and for having a channel that primarily uploads nothing but local bands. Reactions were polarizing to say the least when he unexpectedly dropped a music video with next to no warning. How does Bryan’s jump into the music world fair; despite some genuine talent and high production values, a multitude of immature factors and boneheaded songwriting blunders drag his debut EP down from being anything other than an average pop punk affair.
Bryan’s skills as a musician and a vocalist aren’t the issue with this EP; he himself is a somewhat talented vocalist with a surprisingly strong falsetto and a consistent vocal tone that doesn’t waver throughout the tracks, and numerous moments on the EP are infectiously catchy. The issue is his attitude with the songwriting, repetition and the lack of sincerity in the music. Lyrically and vocally his efforts are entirely focused around trying to be more “fun” than his contemporaries in the genre, so much so that all substance goes out the window; when he isn’t being overtly bombastic in his writing, they almost seem like they’re random lyrics taken from other popular songs, such as in “Smile” which he takes a little *too* much inspiration from the Goo Goo Dolls’s hit song “Iris.” That isn’t to say that it’s all bad news; EP highlight “Tonight” showcases an innate penchant for creating solid poppy hooks and the title track “Follow Your Dreams” could fit anywhere in Never Shout Never’s discography.
Musically, this album sounds like a cross between one of All Time Low’s earlier works and a Never Shout Never demo. The production emphasizes glittering guitars, Bryan’s voice, and not much else. Mentioning “Tonight” once again, there is potential to create a track like this with solid writing, performances, and a semblance of sincerity there, but it gets lost amidst the mediocrity of the rest of the EP. The drumming is incredibly simple and the bass is almost nonexistent bar to be a neat little instrumental backdrop to a vocal line. When it’s not shooting for happy-go-lucky pop punk, it’s shooting for sappy motivational acoustic territory.
Overall, this EP is frustrating. It shows what happens when someone with a reasonable amount of talent and a solid fan backing to make him successful decides to take the safe route instead of capitalizing on his talents and creating a substantiated effort with not only the catchy and mindless fun that this release occasionally captures, but the ability to delve into serious territory without sounding overtly corny. For now; Bryan has put out an average pop punk release that will no doubt quell the appetite of his fans, but not win him any new converts.
