WE ARE THE IN CROWD, occupying the very sugary sweet end of pop punk with seemingly perpetual ear pleasing cadences and slick vocals, have much to prove. Possibly doomed to lazy comparisons, the band have made a swift move keeping it upbeat on ‘Best Intentions’, and it’ll do them wonders in becoming darlings for the younger end of the pop-punk audience.
For anyone over the age of 21, you’re going to feel a bit old to be enjoying an album with such a Disney-fied feel to the songs, but there’s no denying that it’s delivered with impeccable style. The band amping up the female/male vocal crossovers not only make the band around 5 times as listenable, but also give them an edge that’s going to leave many trailing in their wake.
It’s not going to be easy convincing some to give the new record a chance, but tracks like ‘See You Around’ and (the terribly named) ‘It’s Not Goodbye, It’s BRB’ are legitimately great songs, and it’ll be a shame if people write them off.
On the other side of the coin, the album does feel like it tries to please everyone at once, and can feel a little disjointed, but the band do have a habit of hitting the sweet spot, and you can’t help but feel ‘Best Intentions’ is going to do massive things for them.
TOM AYLOTT