Review Summary: Mind boggling.
It is nearly impossible to keep up with the constant flow of Pop-Punk released from various artists, some becoming popular overnight because of an overwhelming number of re-blogs. It takes a good long while to scroll through the massive arsenal that Pure Noise Records has released in only a few years, and a longer time to sift through the many albums to try and find a standout.
Services like Bandcamp make it easy to find page after page of fantastic artists, and with excellence comes quite a few atrocious acts. I enjoy spending many an afternoon scouring the “punk” or “poppunk” tags on Bandcamp, waiting for a colorful album cover to catch my eye. And right around a year ago I stumbled across a band called “Short Stories”. The album cover was cheesy and the production shoddy at best, but it was hard not to enjoy the rawness of the song structure, and the ferocious vocal performance by sir Anthony Silva. I gave the band a “Like” and proceeded to completely devour the bands EP “When Love Is Lost”.
Aside from the obvious talent the band presents, I appreciate how the act refrains from smothering their still-small fan-base with constant Facebook updates, studio selfies, or song previews. Recently, the band quietly announced their debut full-length and my heart skipped a beat or two. I genuinely was enthusiastic to find out what direction the band would be taking with a full length. The power-pop direction showed off in songs such as “Spring Fling”? Or the Emo-power ballad side the band showcased in “CarryMeAgainSomeday”? The answer is both. Silva and company deliver a balanced album with extremely emotional and relatable lyrics, tied together with excellently produced instrumentals for a whirlwind of an album that I can compare to no band.
The album opens with the track “Death by a Broken Heart” – and my God is this song a perilous journey to embark your eardrums upon. The listener experiences all sides of the Short Stories sound in this song. The masterful guitar work, the powerfully fast punk beats, and an infectious climax that will stick around in your head for months. The song is produced like a Nickelback power-ballad, and personally, I had a hard time figuring out which guitar riff or vocal melody to listen the closest to. The song sounds so full and it builds so smoothly, and could please not only the Punk crowd that will read this article, but also Radio Rock hosts across the nation.
Over the next 30 minutes or so, the band takes their listener on a pop-punk adventure that dares to combine the dark and brooding sound Brand New experimented with on their album “Devil & God” and the power-pop anthems acts like Real Friends and State Champs showcase.
The bands leading single “Silly Things” has an infections chorus, paired with sunny harmonies and excellently mapped out vocals. Singer Anthony Silva is a joy to listen to, combining whiny tones akin to Handguns with guttural growls I can only compare to acts like Dear Landlord and Red City Radio. He is two vocalists trapped into one mans body, and the execution of his versatile vocal range is flawless.
The obvious stand-out is of course “Death by a Broken Heart” but my definite top three favorites include “Wishful Thinking” – a song drawing obvious influence from Taking Back Sunday. This track is filled with fantastic guitar leads as well as pristine drum work. Another standout being the closing track “Don’t Flatter Yourself” which is complete with spine-chilling lyrics (including obvious references to childhood depression and possible suicide – “when I was only seven, I would dream of hell and heaven. Thinking anywhere but here is where I want to be”) and a tempo change so perfectly timed; it caused this critic to rise out of his swivel chair and applaud.
This is truly an album that deserves applause, as I am positive this LP will take a small band from the suburbs of San Diego and make them a household name in little to no time.
“Only Time Will Tell” will certainly make every summer playlist and mix CD I assemble, as well as my Year End list. The band is clearly passionate in what they do, and I can only hope that I will be able to someday meet them and experience a live performance. Well baby, only time will tell.
