Wow. This is the best pop-punk (and I mean that stuff with more melodies than an old cartoon, not Descendents-esque stuff) record since the last Fallout Boy CD and has become probably one of my favourites ever. This record has more bounce than the intro sequence to Baywatch and is destined to be THE record of the summer for me. Race The Sun don’t break any new boundaries – for me they just breathe new life into a predictable and tired genre of music. Each song is based around a simple structure, yet everything from the vocals to the riffs to the drums sounds perfect.
‘The Rest Of Our Lives Is Tonight’ has hardly left my stereo since I bought it a month ago. From the opening strains of ‘Solo Tonight’, through to the bouncing riff during the middle of ‘As Wings Develop’, right through to the finale of ‘460 To Nowhere’, this all sounds great. I guess the obvious nods would be towards New Found Glory and bands such as that – after all, the two and three-way vocal harmonies sound spot on. Daniel Long has quite a unique vocal, a little higher than most bands and while I accept some people might not like it, I think it adds a little something extra.
Highlights? Well every song is great in its own way. But there are obviously songs which standout from the pack – and from other bands in the genre too. ‘Solo Tonight’ and ‘Vanity Score’ are great starting points, while ‘My Heart, The Compass (points West)’ is another track which begs to have you sing along. Basically, this is a record for long, scorching summer days. Get a cold drink, stick this record on and share good times. It’s one of the most fun and anthemic records I’ve heard in ages and after listening to so much crap over the last few weeks, has reaffirmed my faith that there is still good music out there. This is special, go forth and buy – I’d be very surprised if you’re disappointed…
www.racethesunrock.com
Fidelity Records
Paul