Little more than a year since we were given a taste of what to expect with ‘Last Light’ OUR TIME DOWN HERE have finally given us the album that we’ve all been waiting for, an album that will be considered a turning point in their career.
It wouldn’t be fair to sit here and tell you that ‘Midnight Mass’ will make an instant impression, because it doesn’t – it takes a couple of listens for it to click. Once it does, however, it’s clear that what OUR TIME DOWN HERE have done here is much like what ALKALINE TRIO did with ‘From Here to Infirmary’ – combine both pop punk with punk rock almost perfectly. The fast drum beats are ever present in ‘Midnight Mass’, but so to are the absolutely massive choruses and a serious sing along value throughout that will do wonders for the band’s live show.
Fans of 2009’s ‘Live, Love, Let Go’ may not be overly enamoured with this sophomore effort because, much like ‘Last Light’, there is a very distinct difference in sound, but no one can say that this is a forced change to cater to the masses. Listening to songs such as ‘I’m a Hex’ and ‘The Reckoning’, and you’ll hear the sincerity and meaning in Will Gould’s lyrics for yourself. If that’s not enough, the end of ‘The Angel of Mercy’ provides an ample shouty fix.
To put it simply, ‘Midnight Mass’ is a complete game changer for OUR TIME DOWN HERE. It’s that difficult second album, but unlike so many other bands, they’ve completely blown their first out of the water. With a bit of luck and a lot of hard work, these boys are just going to get bigger as the year goes on.
CHRIS MARSHMAN