Sleeper Review: "Better Weather" - With Confidence (2016)
In the
series, you’ll find reviews and stories for albums that I found later down the
line – at least a year later – that basically made me go “Where the fuck was I went
this came out?!”
Without any further ado, we’ll start with one of the best
debuts and surprises in the scene from last year; Better Weather by With Confidence
When you're as intertwined in a scene as I am with pop-punk, you'll
start seeing trends. Modern pop-punk as it presents itself today has common
threads and motifs that run through it, which basically has it feeling
monotonous. But every now and then, you'll see a band or album that
feels refreshing and renewing, that gives you hope that all is not lost. Better Weather by With Confidence most
definitely falls into this category.
The band popped up on my radar earlier this year when my friends invited
me to a co-headline show they were doing with Set It Off in London. Now, I
personally hate to go to concerts unprepared. So, I went about listening to
their only release at the time, their 2016 debut Better Weather. When I
did, the smile on my face was almost immediate.
Song one punches in and demands your attention in the form
of Voldemort, embodying the energy and fun stylings of the record. On
one hand, it’s so ‘pop-punky’, the influences are like a slap in the
face. But at the same time, it’s still original as the explosiveness and
intensity works to it benefit, especially with the two strong chords that
starts it off.
It’s almost impossible to not be overtaken by the joy and passion in Jayden’s voice,
even in more sombre songs like Gravity and Long Night. They don’t take
themselves too seriously, which can sometimes be a self-inflicted curse. But
even then, it’s not just some immature effort that just boils down to loud,
obnoxious chords. The musical talents from all elements of the band is so
clear, and are expertly utilised at every chance.
One of the best thing points of the record is its super strong lyricism.
It’s intelligent pop-punk that cleverly embody a cry for help, without feeling
too emo. It starts this strong three songs run in the record that demonstrate
the band’s song-writing skills, nicely tied together with that excellent
production throughout that is sharp, but not so squeaky-clean that it sounds
offensive.
I think the magic of this record comes in songs like Dinner Bell. It’s
half way through the album, arguably in a place where it should be starting to
weaken down. But instead, it’s probably the strongest song on this thing; both sonically and through lyrics that help showcase the band’s creativity. Maybe the song’s strength
is that it comes after two of the slowest songs on the track-listing. However,
the momentum is kept up as Dinner Bell flows straight into Higher, another
sharp, well-written song, if a tad simplistic. And then, we have Waterfall,
which ends the album much in the same way it started; hard-hitting guitars and
raw lyrics, but this time more emotional, give this record the perfect ending.
Other highlights come in Keeper, as it crashes in after the opener and
leads to into what the album is going to be like. Archers is one where you can almost imagine this lively tour
video being made as the official music video. Long Night is the one you may find yourself coming back to the least, only because can feel
like more effort to listen to than others and ends up feeling a bit
uncomfortable and awkward to listen to. Then there are songs like Keys which
are off-putting mainly due to the repetition
I seem to have this trigger where I see a ten-song track list and I turn
my nose up at it. But there is no denying that Better Weather is a wonderfully cohesive
album, a truly pleasurable experience, from start to finish. One of my main
check points when listening to an album is honesty and authenticity. With Con
delivers that in spades.
Faves:
Dinner Bell
Higher
Waterfall
Archers
Least Faves:
Long Night
Keys
8/10
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