‘The Way We Play’ was produced by Rob Freeman (formerly of Hidden In Plain View) and sounds as sweet as a nut. If you’re in a pop-punk band, this is exactly how your production should sound; super slick and crunchy and full of melodies and harmonies. The Dropout Year are a bit too fluffy for me, at times they sound like a very weak Hit The Lights or Race The Sun. And when they go a little bit faster or heavier they sound so much better for it. ‘Mile Marker’, for instance, is a cracking tune. As is the handclap-tastic ‘Counting Down’.
If you like pop-punk you’ll almost certainly enjoy The Dropout Year because they sound flawless, almost too perfect. Over the course of eight tracks they will have you singing along and, with the sun shining, their The Starting Line-esque summery sound will make your life feel great. But it’s nothing we’ve not heard before and it’s not quite as good as the aforementioned bands. ‘Change Today’ is a bit too slick and a bit too obvious and, while this is fun in the short term, I’m not sure if it will stand the test of time.
You’d be a fool not to check this band out and I’m sure you’ll like them short term, but I’m not convinced they’re going to change the world.