Review Summary: A Day to Remember releases an album that everyone will probably want to forget
Oh dear, Metalcore has not a got off to a great start in 2021. Last week, Architects released their most divisive album to date with For those who wish to exist. An over produced, synth laden pop metal album with their usual progressive metalcore sound mostly taking a back seat. However, while that album aspired to be utterly average, the same cannot be said for the new album from Pop punk/metalcore band A day to remember, You’re Welcome. A directionless, uninspired meandering album which no doubt long-time fans of the band are probably going to end up wishing they would forget.
The most glaring issue here is the total lack of any quality song writing. Album opener Brick Wall exemplifies this with its’s disjointed rising and falling verses that only exist to make the markedly louder chorus more exciting. The payoff in the song’s heavier ending is completely lost as it just repeats the same mind numbing nu metal riff that appeared in the first two choruses. Its as if the band have completely forgotten how to properly structure a song and is a far cry in quality from previous album openers like the downfall of us all. Unfortunately, as the album goes on, it becomes apparent that Brick wall is one of the better songs here as things go from bad to worse with tracks like Bloodsucker and F.Y.M, two of the most insipid songs the band have ever penned. Every single track sounds so uninspired, as if the band didn’t even want to show up to the studio. Even the embarrassingly titled Last chance to dance (Bad Friend) the lone heavy track, pales in comparison to Tracks like Violence and Exposed from previous albums.
The Performances from the band on You’re welcome sound so feigned in. The metalcore Riffs are often one to two note chugs and the Energetic Pop-punk attitude from previous albums has completely disappeared. Tracks like Looks Like Hell and Only Money could have fit onto the latest abysmal offerings from Green day and Blink 182. Much like those bands, A day to remember just sound like they are too old to be writing this style of music anymore, which is a shame considering just two albums ago, the band was penning some of their most fun and catchy songs ever recorded on Common courtesy. The most notable member of the band, vocalist Jeremy McKinnon, delivers his worst vocal performance to date. He sounds half asleep on F.Y.M and Re-Entry and the autotune on his voice on album closer Everything We Need is painful to listen to.
But Perhaps the most agonizing part of this album Is the god damn lyrics. Now A Day To Remember have never exactly had particularly great lyrics, but they were passable enough that you could ignore them on previous albums. But by god on You’re welcome they are absolutely asinine. Particular offenders in this area are lead single Degenerates, F.Y.M and Viva La Mexico with wince worthy lines like:
“Medicatin'
With a dosage that's self-prescribed
Happiness that I borrowed
On loan from tomorrow”
All of this is topped of by a production that is brick walled (no pun intended) to oblivion. Unlike the metallic and more raw sounding production jobs of Common Courtesy and Bad Vibrations respectively, the album is so uncompromisingly loud that it’s agonizing to listen to for more than 10 minutes let alone almost 50. Particularly excruciating is the breakdown on Resentment, which coupled with the terrible post-production on Jeremy McKinnon’s Harsh Vocals sounds “industrial” in the worst way possible. So not only is the album written and performed poorly, but it will also give you a blistering headache. Fantastic.
This is the Worst album A Day To Remember has released by a country mile. The song writing is insipid, The lyrics are embarrassing and the production is excruciating. For fans of metalcore or even fans of A Day to Remember’s previous records, stay far away.
