Orange County and Walnut Creek, California have teamed up create to what is undoubtedly one of, if not, the most highly-anticipated split in the hardcore/alt rock scene this year. The molding of hardcore act Stick To Your Guns and pop punk/melodic hardcore frontrunners The Story So Far on this four-track split not only shows off what California alt rock has to offer, but also gives each band’s contenders a run for their money. The fusion of these two bands as well as the direction each takes creates a musical balance, complementing each other fairly well.
Not even three months have passed since The Story So Far released their stunning LP, What You Don’t See, and the 2013 Warped Tour faves are already releasing new music. The opening track to the split, “Clairvoyant”, was released along with the split’s announcement a few weeks back. Don’t lie; we all know that when you first streamed this track, you had to look back at the title and artist a few times because your ears couldn’t believe that you were listening to TSSF. It’s understandable. “Clairvoyant” certainly diverges from the so-called TSSF norm when it comes to instrumentals; stripped-down acoustic, and vocalist Parker Cannon showing off his gorgeous singing voice-almost completely concealed until now. One of the song’s most memorable lines, “Don’t paint me black when I used to be golden”, already has a fanbase of its own. The emotion and personal feel of the lyrics makes this track a signature TSSF tune amidst the introduction of a different musical style. “Loro” the next TSSF track on the split is a Pinback cover, an indie rock band from San Diego. The focus on the bass and rhythms, particularly the percussion, which will drive you insane from all the goodness, in addition to the low, chest voices and repetitive lyrics do not drift too far away from the original.
Stick To Your Guns start off their half of the split with the previously-released, “We Still Believe”, off of their 2012 album, Diamond. The track is the commencement of the split’s much heavier half. To those unfamiliar with STYG or Diamond, “We Still Believe” evokes this sense of empowerment solely in its use of gang vocals, mighty lyrics, and blood-pumping guitar and drum work. STYG follow TSSF’s cover track lead with their execution of “Burning Fight” by Orange County hardcore punk band, Inside Out. As with the previous cover, this rendition does not stray all too much from its original. Stick To Your Guns sprinkles their distinct flare upon the track with slaying guitars and vein-throbbing vocals, giving the twenty three year old track a more modern hardcore sound.
By themselves, The Story So Far and Stick To Your Guns are some fearsome forces that are rarely reckoned with because of the threatening aura they emit. When the two come together, the result is astounding. This split is guaranteed to hold any fan over until another full-length is released from either band, or until the day TSSF and STYG come together for a part two of the split (one can only hope).
Tracklist:
1. Clairvoyant
2. Loro (Pinback Cover)
Stick To Your Guns
3. We Still Believe
4. Burning Fight (Inside Out Cover)
RIYL: The Ghost Inside, Defeater, Daylight
Rating:
Written by Melissa Jones
The Story So Far
Stick To Your Guns
