Everything We Left Behind-Our Ears Are Bleeding
Apart from having a rather bloody awesome vintage horror movie front cover, Bristol boys Everything We Left Behind's debut record 'Our Ears Are Bleeding' is a very promising collection of songs that plant their roots firmly in the classic fast-paced pop-punk of old.
Reminding of NOFX's sneering glory and Less Than Jake's driving joy, the band dabble in a sound that is by no means new but inject it with their own feel to make it sound truly fresh and uplifting. 'Generica' is a fire-cracker of an opener taking aim at the same old songs that haunt the mainstream airwaves and 'A Place Called Nowhere' is an absolutely unashamed and glorious pop-punk anthem that has a chorus that you won't be able to remove from your head for weeks no matter how hard you try. It all makes you feel like you're skateboarding down a Floridian sun-kissed street running away from all your problems for a short but wonderful half an hour, it's authentic and reminds of all kinds of bands who've influenced the genre, 'Don't Be Hasty' even reminding of Rancid in its slight ska-bounce. It's really impressive stuff from a scene often mimicked in this day and age and genuinely gives something new, unlike many decent but ultimately forgettable efforts of recent.
It's not all completely stellar, occasional tracks being good if nothing spectacular, but its highs are real eye-openers and will be demanding you to go back for plenty more. The aforementioned 'A Place Called Nowhere' demands to be checked out, the early Blink of 'The Not Winner' is absolutely killer in its unforgiving defiance and irresistible bounce and the punching rhythms of the bruised 'Repeating' emotionally hit hard on every listen, vocalist/guitarist Josh Rees' brilliant vocal hooks and relatable lyrics soaring and shining on every track.
The quartet have made a really brilliant introduction to their band that's a great pop-punk record in its own right, if they promote it to everyone they can they could be going places. If you're a fan of pop-punk in any capacity you need to give this a spin, they could be your new favourite band.