Random Holiday’s debut full-length album is nothing short of a solid pop-punk success with its focus on variety, simplicity and sincerity. With only a split and EP's worth of material, Space To Grow is by far the band’s biggest undertaking yet. With a debut full-length, the main goal is to establish a defining sound as a band – and Random Holiday undoubtedly achieves that with Space To Grow.
A lot of the success Random Holiday has found in Space To Grow manifests itself in the amount of variety it harbors. At any given point in the album there could be either a fast paced anthem, such as 17, an acoustic track or even something verging on a ballad, such as Lee. Making sure not to overload the album with one particular kind of song does two things for Random Holiday – it keeps things exciting and unpredictable as well as showcases how talented the band is within many different realms of songwriting, and in Space To Grow, the talent abounds.
Every instrument has its own chance to shine on Random Holiday’s debut album, and they all do well to compliment the strong vocals. Singer Mike Frazier displays confidence in his vocal delivery and sincerity in his lyrics. Some notable lines include a shouted “trying to make a glimmer of light in a world of grey” in Bankshift and pretty much the entirety of one of the best songs on the record/first single 17. Overall, there are some great American Football-esque guitar lines in Hibernation and relentless punk drum beats in Crossing The Patomic, as well.
While the release is definitely varied in terms of the types on songs Random Holiday have included on Space To Grow, the songs rarely do anything to truly stand out amongst other bands in the genre. The one spot where the band does add something interesting however is in closing track Heart Grows Colder, with its use of synth-y chime noises. It’s such a great addition and compliment to the music that it’s almost disappointing they didn’t try anything this interesting in the other tracks. If anything, a song like Heart Grows Colder is a great indicator of the heaps of potential in Random Holiday.
All in all, Space To Grow is a solid debut album that does exactly what a debut is supposed to; grab attention. Random Holiday’s 2013 LP is a success in its variety and execution, and also shows the massive amount of potential the band can explore in future releases. With excellent songs such as 17 and Heart Grows Colder under its belt, Random Holiday has a solid amount of material and they can only go up from here.
Tracklist:
1. 17
2. Lee
3. If I'm Lucky I'll Forget Your Name
4. Bankshaft
5. Walk Before You Run
6. Crossing To Potomac
7. Space To Grow
8. Where I Belong
9. Hibernation
10. Heart Grows Colder
Rating:
Written by Marc Saggese
