I happened to stumble across Astoria during a quest to find the greatest emo record ever. Obviously that grandiose title belongs to The Get Up Kids for their amazing ‘Something To Write Home About’ opus, but there must be something knocking on its door, right? Well, my search has gone on for three years and there aren’t many contenders. So I stumbled across a young emo band called Astoria, gave them a whirl and wow, I found a great band. It’s no GUK, but hey, it’s still as good as an ice cool beer on a hot day…
Astoria are basically a pop-punk/emo hybrid. They have some natty hooks and melodies and it’s all very easy on the ear. It’s hard to dislike to be honest, although I’m sure the purists will slag it off for being a bit poppy. Basically I don’t care, there’s a tune here and I’m damn well singing along. Although the neighbours won’t be too impressed I’m sure…
So, kicking off with ‘Say Anything New’ you may be forgiven for thinking this was just another NFG wannabe piddling out yet more generic pop-punk. Crashing drums, power chord riff…yawn… But thankfully that’s not the case. Get past the opening few bars, and wipe those Rufio comparisons out of your mind, and you have a catchy enough number. OK, it’s obvious pop-punk, but listen on, we don’t get this bland again.
‘Electricity’ is nothing like the previous effort. Thoughtful, considered and downright bloody beautiful, it’s one of the best songs I’ve heard this year. It’s emo with a huge hook and it has a chorus you can’t help but sing along to. Lyrically it’s metaphorically brilliant too, soppy as hell, yet it seems to work perfectly. “It takes a lonely, lonely person to wait for the snow to fall,” Alexander James Hovis belts out, and I for one believe him. For four minutes you’ll be transported to a bleak, far away world. An absolute gem of a song.
‘The Stars Are Restless Alone’ is a title surely thought up by one of those websites that generates emo names. Still, it’s a decent enough track that never really gets going, yet still offers enough promise to suggest that ‘Electricity’ isn’t going to be Astoria‘s only good song. Again there’s melody in abundance but it doesn’t quite hit the spot. Unlike ‘Preliminary’ which is far better. A bit more up-tempo and positive than the previous track, despite having a dirtier riff, this works a treat. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not worthy of being talked about in the same breath as GUK, but it’s still good. “Will you dance with me, hold my hand?” Alex croons, and if I was that way inclined I most probably would. But I’m not, so I won’t. Still, it’s good and I like.
The EP ends with the majestic ‘Start Again’, opening with a delightful arpeggio riff. Astoria do go into a lot of detail lyrically and this is perhaps the best example of how visual the band get. Plus it has another one of those trademark melodic choruses, which burrows into the brain and refuses to shift. Slowly building up, the track is a brooding effort, and I’m pretty sure emo kids all around the world will be reaching for the Kleenex if they listen to this for too long.
So, all in all, this is pretty good. The search for the record of greatness goes on, but I’m quite happy to listen to this for a little bit longer yet. A full-length record will certainly make interesting listening.
Paul Savage