The opening track on Melbourne based APART FROM THIS‘ second EP is misleading. A guitar build-up followed by a perfectly timed drop that unleashes intense but equally measured vocals may have some associating the sound with American of-the-hour outfits such as BALANCE AND COMPOSURE or DAYTRADER, but the majority of ‘Another Day, Another Fight’ owes more to their straightforward energetic contemporaries in SET YOUR GOALS and MAN OVERBOARD.
Although ‘Drowning’ may be the highlight on this tragically short release, APART FROM THIS take enough influences from the underground to avoid coming across as directly cloning their sound from the recent wave of American pop-punk bands. The production on ‘Another Day, Another Fight’ is seemingly deliberately low-key, helping to reinforce the raw nature of the lead vocals, and although it may pay tribute to SET YOUR GOALS on an uncomfortably high number of occasions, this EP disregards the polish and shine which has only served to remove the genre of much its soul over recent years.
‘Another Day, Another Fight’ is more energetic and explosive than most pop-punk releases in recent months, and though the close comparisons to other bands from a similar ilk are justified, there’s a layer of raw attitude that empowers the sound. The immediate contradiction between the opening track and the remaining three songs hint at a band that not only draws influences from across the board, but also has the ability to sound both raw and fresh. A future LP release by APART FROM THIS may have pop-punk fans looking down under for their next musical fix.
BEN TIPPLE