There’s a moment 25 seconds into ‘So Here We Are’, the final song on this three-tracker, that screams out Less Than Jake‘s ‘The Ghosts of Me and You’. It’s almost a dead-ringer in sound and at the same time serves as an interesting comparison: ‘Anthem’ saw the Florida skacore godfathers move in more of a pop direction, a move that is reflected on this release.
For the uninitiated Advantage is the new name for Stoke’s Grown At Home. Following some personnel changes (most notably original singer Nick Phillips is out, guitarist Paul Cook replaces him on vocal duties) the band has regrouped, refocused and set the stall for a new endeavour. And the first thing you notice about this new endeavour is that the chilled ska grooves that resonated through previous material have been toned right down whilst the bouncy, breakneck power pop has been turned all the way up. Sure GAH wasn’t exactly static but Advantage really knocks it up a notch.
Opener ‘Never Say Never’ is a relentlessly fast brass driven pop-rock track that somehow manages to drop in the odd tempo change altering the whole aesthetic to something more akin to Luke Leighfield, before hurdling off again. ‘Phoenix’, the song title an obvious reference to Advantage rising from the ashes of GAH, is the closest we get to previous output, with downtuned ska evident although packed alongside cheekily big choruses. ‘So Here We Are’ winds things up in colossal fashion, an incredibly danceable offering to rock out to.
This first offering is very much a record about growing up and moving on, not least moving on as a band. So will this new direction alienate older fans? Some I imagine (people inherently fear change). Will it generate new fans? Definitely (especially those that want to have a good old knees up). How does it stand up against the band’s previous incarnation? So far, it stands toe-to-toe, but there’s an inkling that GAH won’t live on through Advantage: before long this will be a completely separate entity and at that time we’ll know how the two compare. For now get your dancing shoes ready, it’s time to exert some energy.
‘Advantage‘ is available now direct from the band
Alex