While it’s well known that modern pop punk has it’s most concentrated presence in the East Coast states of New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, it’s also known that the nearby Georgia is not nearly as well-represented within the genre. Look Alive, a relatively new band out of Atlanta, strives to change that. This month marks the release of the band’s debut EP Mistakes & Milestones on Autumn + Colour Records, and while the debut may not be groundbreaking, it certainly legitimizes GA pop punk as something that can proudly stand next to any of the genre’s microcosms.
Much like many of it’s contemporaries, Mistakes & Millstones is honest from the get-go, wearing its heart on its sleeve. The first proper song, "Anchored", is just as its title implies: a song lamenting on the things that that had once served as anchors in the singer’s/band’s life. But it’s not until the following song, "Sink Or Swim", that the nautical imagery truly inspires the message of the song’s namesake. Some may find the nautical theme cliché or commonplace in the genre, but when out of that context the song is one of the most powerful on the EP.
Similarly, there are a few standout moments on Mistakes & Milestones that truly highlight Look Alive’s talent, and many of them happen to be on the latter portion of the release. "Farewell", while very obviously derivative of the sound popularized by The Story So Far, puts on display Look Alive’s knack for writing hooks and melodies – and is in many ways the catchiest song on the album. The drumming in the upbeat Inquisition is noteworthy in it’s level of creativity and "Over/Under" is straight-up the best song on the album. It being the last song is fitting in that it takes all of the best parts of the songs prior to it and mashes it up into one cohesive track, emphasized by great build-up style songwriting.
One thing I wish I could’ve seen in this release, however, is a little more of an expansion on the sound Look Alive has crafted. For the most part, the songs are so well done that it bears thinking that Look Alive could have benefited from taking a few more risks; they easily have the talent and potential to pull off something unprecedented in the genre. If anything, it makes me hopeful that a full length would be a better format for taking said musical risks. But while Mistakes & Milestones doesn’t try to transcend genre boundaries or bridge a gap between different styles of music, it shouldn’t be judged based on what it isn’t. What Look Alive has given us is a collection of songs ranging from solid to remarkably realized; and as such they have put themselves, and Georgia, on the pop punk map.
Tracklist:
1. Transitions
2. Anchored
3. Sink Or Swim
4. The Way I See It
5. Farewell
6. Inquisition
7. Over/Under
RIYL: The Story So Far, The Wonder Years
Rating:
Written by Marc Saggese
