Times, they are a changing. Victory Records used to be regarded as the USA’s premier hardcore label. However, recently, they have been transforming themselves into a label with highly reputable bands from all sorts of genres. While still encompassing such hardcore luminaries as Hatebreed, Snapcase and Strife, recent signings have swelled the rankings to even larger and more diversified musical directions. The Reunion Show are one of those bands.
Combining huge chunky guitar riffage with 60’s pop sensibilities and the unmistakeable sound of keyboards, their sound is a familiar yet refreshing one. ‘Kill Your Television’ is their debut release, and you’d be forgiven for thinking they were veterans of the scene. Fans of Weezer and the Foo Fighters will notice similarities in song writing structure while comparisons to the ultra melodic pop punk sounds of Midtown and Millencolin wouldn’t be too far from the mark. However, The Reunion Show possess a charm all of their own. Maybe it’s the Moog, or maybe the cheeky lyrics and dumb yet compelling song titles and subject matter (See ‘New Rock Revolution’ or ‘On A Scale From One To Awesome (You’re Pretty Great) for examples) or just the fact that every song is spilling over with colossal chunks of pop rock melody, it’s hard to keep a smile off your face while listening to this album.
While not every song is written to perfection, in fact, the likes of ‘Drop It!’ and ‘Alligator Love Trap’ can start to grate after a while, when they pull it off, they bloody pull it off! This is clearly evident in the driving, funky bassline and stomping chorus of album highlight ‘Character Assassination’ or the vivacious ‘Television’, which is a handy lesson in how to make a perfect pop punk song sound ten times better with the inclusion of keyboards.
As the band themselves admit on ‘New Rock Revolution’, “It’s all been done beforeâ€. However, very few bands can claim to do it with as much character and boundless energy as The Reunion Show. The band members clearly love the music they are playing, the lyrics are of a generally high standard (minus a few cringe-worthy lines) and the artwork is superb. Beautifully simplistic photo’s and a bold, vivid colour scheme make for the whole package, not just a set of songs in a plastic case.
While Victory Records have a bit of a hit and miss reputation when it comes to signing non-hardcore bands (For example, Student Rick should never have been given a second listen) this is one group they will want to keep their hands on. If the Reunion Show can carry on in this vein and resist the temptation to slip into even sweeter, sugar coated pop punk departments, then ‘Kill your Television’ could be the start of something big. To quote the band, I’d say this record was, ‘On a scale from one to awesome …. Pretty great’.
Ross