I first came across Paige when putting together Punktastic Un-Scene 3 in 2006 and they reminded me of a synth-heavy The Maple State, complete with cute lyrics and a myspace-heavy image. Paige circa 2008 have certainly grown up a lot, both in the quality of their songs and in the way they look. Gone are the ‘OMG’s and ‘LOL’s of their internet-based world and instead comes a sound that’s a lot more rounded and mature. While the genre still sounds the same, and Paige are still very much a pop-punk band, the immature quirks have gone. It makes the band one of the best UK acts around at what they do, even if they’re still not quite the most original or inventive band around.
This record, a co-release on No Order and Walnut Tree, sounds huge. No disrespect, but UK bands, as a rule of thumb, usually fail to match their UK counterparts when it comes to the quality of their recording. Not so with Paige, who sound massive – thumbs up to whoever gave this record the polish and sheen it has. The tracks on this record borrow heavily from a number of other UK and US acts, but Paige are as good as any in their genre. Vocalist Lewis has a very strong sound and carries the band at times; as the guitars and bass drive the band, his voice really sets them
apart. And while there’s the now predicted American tone to proceedings, it does fit the sound perfectly.
There are many bands around right now who do the poppy pop-punk thing well. Take Boys Like Girls and We The Kings as two US bands who set the marker. They’re not great at what they do, but they’re still a good old fashioned enjoyable listen. Paige are the UK equivalent. They fail to re-invent the wheel but they just crank out good, catchy tunes. And with the type of music they play that’s about all they need to do…