Ten Second Epic remind me of Simple Plan. And not just because they’re both Canadian. The two bands base their songs around the simple premise of a very catchy hook and some radio friendly riffs and while TSE maybe aren’t quite as inoffensive, they’re very good at writing singalong choruses. The Uk release of this album, on Atticus Black, comes with half a dozen extra tracks so at 16 songs it’s very good value for money. There’s the odd duffer along the way, but on the whole this is decent value – it does exactly what it says on the tin and for a pop-punk band they clearly know what the rulebook says and what they should do.
‘Every Day’, which features guest vocals from Lights, is the lead single and it’s clear to see why. It has a slow building first verse which reaches a crescendo with a huge, huge chorus that will have you singing along in no time. If it’s not already on TV and radio, it will be very soon. And while this specific song is arguably the pick of the bunch, there are several others, such as ‘Life Times’ and ‘Windows’ that are also really good.
The band don’t stray too far from the formula throughout ‘Hometown’ and at times some of the songs start to merge together, but the great songs are very good and carry this through. The extra tracks are from the band’s earlier material and they’re a bit more tinny, rough sounding and ‘punk’. They’re also well worth a listen. ‘Hometown’ is a good little summer record, perfect for putting on loud and singing along when the sun is shining.