‘Never Stars’ is a passable but uninspiring three-song EP that sounds desperately like it wants to trade the UK for the glorious sunshine of Florida. It’s inoffensive but unlikely to be anything more than background party music.
‘Digging Deep’ opens proceedings and, frankly, there’s not much to separate it from ‘Stranded’ or ‘Lifelines’. It’s got all the hallmarks of the genre: high-pitched adolescent vocals, fast but not too fast riffs and a positive attitude towards life. However, there’s very few moments that stand out as genuinely catchy.
The popularity of bands like New Found Glory, Blink 182 and All American Rejects led to a mass of imitators during the early 2000s but that was over a decade ago. ‘Never Stars’ could quite easily be a covers EP but it would be incredibly difficult to tell the difference. This is most apparent on the vocals, which have a distinctly faux-American twang. It’s a stark contrast to bands like Creeper, who revel in their Englishness, and can be somewhat grating.
It’s telling that, even after listening to it several times, we can’t pick out anything unique about ‘Never Stars’. We can remember the general sound and making comparisons to bands our friends liked when we were teenagers but nothing that is truly memorable. In a world where pop-punk is going through a revival and there’s opportunities for the UK to make an impression, As the Sun Sleeps are hidden in the background.
ASHLEY PARTRIDGE