I know, I know, mentioning WSTR or Neck Deep or one of the other myriad of “trend” bands can be dangerous these days, as they seem to have accrued the type of heat saved for Youtube villains, like that woman who put that cat in the bin. The fact is this, some bands will score big record deals, get pushed by their agencies and split opinion. This isn’t anything new. The pop punk scene can count it’s self lucky that this is something we’re only now finding so divisive, as only in the past few years because there’s been such an influx of pop punk. Go back only seven years and you could count the name of ‘known’ UK pop punk bands on one hand.
That being said, WSTR’s first full length ‘Red, Green or In Between’ earns enough merit to be discussed on its own. Regardless of anything else, this is a great attempt and a good record. Will this change the landscape of pop punk? No. But that’s OK, it doesn’t need to. It does however, deliver enough quality to earn WSTR the right to be held in the discussion of the UK’s best current pop punk bands.
The record opens with a punch in the throat, hitting you first with ‘Featherweight’ followed by ‘Footprints’, which both relentlessly set the tone of the record and brashly show you that these guys know how to write a fucking song. Full disclosure, I was hesitant to enjoy this record, but both of these songs have found their way onto my personal playlists after being asked to review it. Granted, the record doesn’t stretch too far away from this formula, but you can forgive them for it since they have found a way to craft it so well. The core of the record is driven by familiar hooks and lyrical context you’d expect from the adolescent side of pop punk. Their Track ‘Eastbound and Down’ feels like early era Blink and New Found Glory tracks have been dropped into a blender and poured over ice cubes made in 2010, and you know what, it’s really enjoyable.
The real gem of the album is found in ‘The Last Ride’, which changes the tone and shows a little more depth to their structure and song writing. If their song ‘Graveyard Shift’ was a seed, this song is the tree it grew into and shows the promise that they have the capability to evolve their sound. What’s enjoyable is that It’s a little bare bones and peels a layer away exposing some self-reflective honesty, and the song it’s self takes you on a journey.
So let’s address the elephant size stack of pizzas in the room, is this comparable to a Neck Deep record? At face value, yes. However, Neck Deep’s contentious yet undeniable success and popularity is unfortunately going to have side effects for other UK bands trying to climb the ladder behind them, and WSTR unfortunately fall into this bracket. Yes, vocally there are similarities, and this riff driven formulaic side of pop punk will only draw comparisons rather than contrast it. Therefore, if you don’t like one band cut from this cloth, you’ll figure you won’t like any. Nonetheless, since signing with No Sleep Records, WSTR have produced a decent first attempt with sparks of something great which may see them than as more than a flavour of the month. This is a good standalone record with good songs and should objectively be given the credit it’s due.
‘Red, Green, or In Between’ is out now and available for download
