At a time where an increasing number of bands are being tainted with the "'90s worship" shtick, it is surprising and refreshing to stumble upon a band who are adamant on pervading the air of pop punk/hardcore of yesteryear.
"Marty McFly”, the opener on Childhood, encompasses exactly what you’d expect as an intro; a drawn-out forty-five-second breakdown. As briefly satisfying as the breakdown is, it is a missed shot in reigning in the listeners initially. As it leads into the spring-coiled riff, again unfortunately the song is plagued by predictability and devoid of any real enticing moments.
Musically, the band sound similar to Kid Liberty and early Three Cent Cinema. Although it is evident what sound the band is heading towards throughout this first section of Childhood - you cannot help but feel cheated out of early anticipation.
“Falling With Style” is one of the brightest moments on Childhood where the band possesses individuality. A sole identity is notable within “Falling With Style”, where the band bounces between the abrasive throat vocals and clean DeLonge-esque croons of both vocalists Chris Botkin and guitarist Jon Lightfoot. Although a breakdown is expected (and ultimately delivered) the band utilize various auxiliary sounds to emphasize the boldness of the breakdown section.
“Eat My Shorts” sets a blazing trail of the sentiment of resent for listeners, which also acts as the brief pause before the record progresses onto the real treat, “You’re Killin' Me Smalls”. The aforementioned track is refreshing when compared to the predictable nature of the songs on the first section of the record. Consisting of the record's main transitioning theme, “You’re Killin' Me Smalls” emulates the main sentiment of Childhood's theme with the words of "so grab your gloves because it’s batter up, we’re swinging from childhood into being grown up...". There is a profound sense of achievement, which is audible and can only be attributed to the pride of highlighting one of the most daunting inevitable transitions in life.
Closing track “Come Up Short”, (featuring Corey Davis of States Away), is nothing short of titillating from the first prolonged chord and "woah". The closer is an insight into the intense quality of latter tracks that could surface from the band in the future. Corey Davis beautifully produces his lament of "it was all lose on me, no hope on shore that I can see, you left me here on my own...", giving an emotional weight by adding a layer to the gang vocal interplay before the song fades.
The bonus track gives “You’re Killin' Me Smalls” new life in the acoustic setting. The band surprisingly breech the unwritten rule of acoustic songs by incorporating throat vocals, however how can it flawed when demonstrated so justly?
While the first portion of Childhood is a predictable pastiche of yesteryear's easycore, the band emulates the style with grace and individuality in the latter portion, which leads listeners into the prosperity for newer material and the future of Take First Place.
Tracklist:
1. Marty McFly
2. Hey, You Guys!
3. Falling With Style
4. Eat My Shorts
5. You're Killin' Me Smalls
6. Came Up Short
7. You're Killin' Me Smalls (Acoustic)
RIYL: Three Cent Cinema (early), Kid Liberty
Rating:
Written by Aaron Akeredolu
