Review Summary: Even though I'm highly biased, this is a wonderful little post-hardcore journey that is so worth it. Don't seperate yourself from this one.
I will not pretend to be an expert critic or author, because I'm not. At the end of the day, I am just a casual music fan. A Day To Remember, though, are a band that I love like no other. Whereas contant listening of nearly any other band will burn me out, ADTR is almost always in rotation for me, particularly this album. And not just several songs off it, no. The entire record.
Across a mere 32 minute run time and just 10 songs, "What Seperates Me From You" may seem a bit underwhelming. Add to this the fact that the record came out only a year and a handful of months after its predecesor, "Homesick", and it may even feel a bit rushed. IT would definetly be easy to get that impression. Though, in the end, I think it's quite the opposite. Despite pressure from their label, ADTR churned out the best record of their career. Full of excellent pop-punk hooks and metalcore breakdowns, this album will let no fan down. Allow me to break it down.
Opening the record up is the aggressive screamed vocals of Jeremy McKinnon on the first track, "Sticks & Bricks". "I am fueled by all forms of failure, I paid your price so I'll take what's mine" is the aggressive lyric that opens the album. This heavy metalcore banger is sure to catch any listener's attention early on, especially with its soaring chorus that expresses anger towards mere bystanders in hard situations for our narrator.
Following on is the lead single "All I Want", and I can't think of a better way to tease the album's release. It's a more pop-punk sounding tune that expresses the desire of the band to move on from their current situation at Victory records. Its clean production and great smooth vocals make the song a really enjoyable listen. It was my introduction to ADTR, and is still a favorite for me. It's followed by promotional single "It's Complicated", the poppiest song here. Despite this, it remains a fun and reflective track that does still have a really catchy breakdown, even if it is not among my favorites.
What is one of my favorites is the deep cut that follows. "This is the house that doubt built" remains what I believe to be the most underrated song ADTR have released. It's a melodic and uplifting song that speaks of overcoming challenges in one's life through music. The woahs in the chorus may seem annoying and a cop-out to some, but I find that they add to the song and it's uplifting nature. It's probably my second favorite on the album.
Unfortunately, if you made me single out a least favorite on the LP, it'd be the next song. "2nd Sucks" is a fan favorite for its heavy and mosh-pit sounding nature, but as someone who prefers it when the band adds melodic choruses to its heavy songs, I presonally don't really care for the track. It has a fun music video and a good breakdown, and yes, it rocks live. Personally though, It's not my thing. I like it, it's at least a 3/5, but it's not my personaly favorite.
One of the most melodic songs here follows the heaviest. "Better off this way" is a nice song that dabbles in some ballad territory. It helped me get through a rather rough end to a toxic friendship, and some of its lyrics do hit me personally. The woahs in the chorus of this one especially sound really good coming from Jeremy. Honestly, the whole chorus is among the best here. A great song, and the opposite of filler, like the rest of the deep cuts here.
The third single "All signs point to Lauderdale" follows. An absolutely great and really fun pop-punk tune that I personally always seem to underestimate when I go to listen. Even though I don't relate personally to its town-hating lyrics, I do see why they're so appealing in a pop-punk song. Its a great tune, though that's about all I have to say for it.
OH dear god. I was not prepared for what came next at first. Enter ADTR's masterpiece (tied with Sometimes you're the hammer, Sometimes you're the nail): "You be tails, I'll be sonic". That title refers to how in the Sega Genesis Sonic games, Sonic is faster than Tails and often leaves him in the dust. The song itself is about leaving an ex behind, and living to regret it. The verses are an absolute mental breakdown full of loud screamed lies like "I'm a mess, that's the best way to describe it". Then the almost groovy pre-chorus leads into the super melodic and catchy chorus where the narrator takes out his anger on his ex, saying "You killed what was left of the good in me". The bridge carries even more aggressive vocals than before and an extremely brutal breakdown. Its a masterpiece of a song that really makes you feel the angst that it's trying to. Please check this one out, even if you check out nothing else on the record.
I will say that these last two tracks and considerably weaker than others, but that may be because they have so much to live up to, given what just preceeded them. "Out of Time" is a good pop-punk tune but that's about as far as it goes. Like "Better off this way", I really enjoy some of these lyrics and relate to them, though musically the song doesn't offer much. It is the closest to filler the album has, but still worth checking out. The closer "If I Leave" left a lot to be desired for me persoally, until I heard it in the right moment. On the last day of my Sophomore year of High School, I listened to this song as I left the school year behind on the way back to my house, and it hit differently. I have a newfound appreciation for it as a result, thoguh I still find the song to be a little middle of the road. I like the way it starts with Jeremy's shouting of "Let's Go!" and a heavy riff, but other parts of it leave a lot to be desired as a closer to such a great album. Still good, though.
And that's the album. Certainly a journey across just 10 songs. But to me, it just means so much. Yes, some of these songs may come off as a little overdone or generic post-hardcore to some people. But this is my album. I'm always listening to it, and it has never gotten old for me. Everyone has an album like that, and this is mine.
If you're a fan of any genre this album and ADTR as a whole incorporate, please check "What Seperates Me From You" out. It's a fun journey with themes of moving on and maybe even having trouble doing that, and I think that's something many can relate to. It's only a half hour long, too, so you can easily enjoy this one in a short period of time.
Tracks to check out: You be tails, I'll be sonic, This is the house that doubt built, Sticks & Bricks, All I want, Better off this way, All signs point to Lauderdale
