Review Summary: The Wonder Years show their ability to write a good gong without any mention of ninjas or zombies.
The Wonder Years are a catchy pop punk band from Philadelphia best known for their humorous lyrics and DIY worth ethics. What started as just a joke band, the Wonder Years really showed their ability to write a great, slightly more serious song with their "Won't Be Pathetic Forever" EP.
The EP opens up with "Mike Kennedy is a Bad Friend" which is essentialy nothing more than an intro. It starts off with the band's drummer Kennedy saying "Head above water this year, boys" and then we're off. The song shows that yes, The Wonder Years do know how to play their instruments.
The next track is "Solo and Chewy: Holdin' It Down". It's The Wonder Year's song about touring that has seem to become a pop punk essential. The song starts off with a single guitar playing behind Soupy's vocals and then a little bit of drums, pretty soon the track is filled with The Wonder Year's signature keyboards. In the middle of the track you'll be surprised to hear guest vocals by Rachel Minton, who manages to harmonize so well with Soupy's voice. By the end of the song things start to get a little heavier with some screaming vocals and overlapping voices.
The title track, "Won't Be Pathetic Forever" is a song that almost everyone can relate to, being sick of the pathetic life you're leading and actually wanting to be able to make a difference with what you're doing. The song starts off with drums and bass and then busts into one of the best Wonder Year's song up to that point by the time it gets to the chorus. The son'g chorus is laced with keyboards and gang vocals sang with tons of heart. "We won't sleep our lives away, and today(and today, and today.) We'll make waves. In this lake of *** we've made, I refuse to sink." The song progresses in the same manner and leads up to the end with a chant "I ***ing hate this town/ I ***ing love this town" overlapping.
The final song on the EP is, "You're Not Sallinger, Get Over It". It starts off with tons of fast paced drumming and guitars. The vocals on this track are all sang fast paced and filled with passion. The lines "Just cause we're down doesn't mean we've gotta stay there..." are followed with an outburst of melodic gang vocals that lead into a repeat of the chorus. The song gets a little bit slower with just the drums beating in the slower with "chin up, and we'll drown a little slower" being sang lightly until it progresses and becomes the main vocals. The EP ends with the listener wanting to hear more of The Wonder Year's new song writing style with no ninjas or zombies ever even being mentioned.
