When listening to Late In The Playoffs' debut EP Everything I Know, three bands come to mind; All Time Low, Motion City Soundtrack, and Relient K. However, after the five tracks have played out I realised that there is so much more and it is almost everything I used to love about this genre when I was growing up before it got drowned by dudes with beards, playing major key breakdowns.
As the first few notes are played in the opening title track, the band defines the laid-back sound that is evident throughout the rest of the record and straight up, the warm vocals distinguish that this isn't just another Easycore band.
When the second track You Won't begins, all I could think is blink-182! blink-182!, but once again, as the verse begins, it makes up for any parts that may sound like they where taken straight from another band. Waking Up (Is The Hardest's intro sounds almost identical to A Day To Remember's Have Faith In Me. While this may be true, the indie feel of the songs separates them.
New Directions is personally my favourite track on this record. It's catchy as hell and so chilled. The pre chorus at 0:27 has been stuck in my head for days. The lines as far as the roads are willing to take us to catch the wrong, bus to make us learn our lessons upside down, and find each other on the worst side of town, be keeping you warm and taking you home, at least I thought makes me want to leave whatever I'm doing and go somewhere new. And when you think about it, that's what music is all about; provoking emotion and with the positive motivation Late In The Playoffs do this perfectly in the same sense The Wonder Years do.
Blue Eyes is by far the most radio-friendly track, which if ever broke into the mainstream, would go far I'd like to say.
The gang vocals that finish off the record in Waking Up (Is The Hardest) are an almost perfect ending to a really good EP that any lover of Pop Punk and Indie will be more than happy with or any listener that wants a change from the sometimes cliché Easycore sound.
Late In The Playoffs' debut EP is out on the 30th of August and will be available for only $1 on their Bandcamp for the first week. I suggest you go buy it!
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