Michigan's "happy" pop-punkers Every Avenue released their first major studio album last week, entitled "Shh. Just Go With It." It has only been five months since the group released their EP "Ah!" on Fearless Records to much praise and comparisons to bands like The Ataris and The Starting Line. The band wants to be known as a group that just makes music to have fun. This approach just may be the reason they will be able to find their place in the mess of other hopeless pop-punk imitators.
The album opens with a standard ode to a summer that has passed too quickly with "The Days of the Old." The band sings, "I will always remember/ Makin' out 'til the sun went down/ Counting stars from the hood of a car/ Catchin' friends as they were falling down." This kind of quirky wordplay may not appeal to all listeners, especially older listeners who are probably past this stage in their lives, but the band has the essence of the feeling down so well it will bring anyone back to their old summer flames. The next track off the album, "This One's A Cheap Shot," is almost an identical copy of the track right after it ("Where Were You?"). The overarching theme of the tracks thus far seems to be centered on having a good time and lost loves.
Besides having unbelievably cheesy lyrics and the same basic guitar riffs for most songs, the band does excel in some areas. Tracks like "Think of You Later (Empty Room)," "Take a Step Back" and "Boys Will Be Boys" take advantage of synthesized drum beats and other vocal effects to add to the sound of the spot-on vocals and catchy rhythms. Here, the band sounds like Rediscover with the electronically produced drum hits and sound blips. This sound is directly contrasted by a track like "Between You and I," which consists of calming piano and very light synth drums.
In "A Story to Tell Your Friends," the band members lament over a girl (again, not much of a shock) who keeps leaving them behind and, when she returns, making them "fall again." The track may be cutesy and sugary enough to cause cavities, but the band breaks out its signature move to bring the fans in: harmonization. Here is one area where the band excels; it makes the listening experience more enjoyable for fans and newcomers to the music alike.
"Trading Heartbeats" is a "whoa-oh" anthem that is conducive to singing along and clapping to the beat. That is yet another strength of the band; in this day and age, many bands go nuts while titling their songs, which can cause problems when people actually have to remember them. Sure, they can be interesting and add to the complete feel of the album, but there is something that makes a listener feel at home when a band will just pick a title that fits, and nothing more. Every Avenue won't pull any dirty tricks on its listeners.
"Freak Out" is one truly weird track that begins with screams and panic. It is the most different and darkest of the bunch. This difference makes the song appealing as the band sings "Gonna sink this ship tonight/ Gonna see if hope really floats" and "You make it hard to swim away/ You look so good/ When you're freaking out." The odd tone is hard to swallow at first, but this track should not be ignored.
Every Avenue is a truly promising band that will most likely be able to rise to the top if they can keep their artistic integrity intact and not allow stardom to go to their heads. The album is a great follow-up to the EP, and it might just be worth it for fans of this music to check them out.
