In releasing this album as a ‘pay what you want’ release This Time Next Year and Equal Vision are either re-writing the label rulebook or are on a one-way ticket to brokesville. fair play to both parties for tackling the issue of illegal downloading head on – I paid for the downloads on this release when I may have taken it freely, for reviewing purposes, had that option not been available. The plan is clearly to open TTNY up in terms of exposure and hope the spin offs – merch, ticket sales and physical sales – are big enough to plug the gaps. I hope they do, simply to reward band and label for their bold decisions.
Is ‘Road Maps & Heart Attacks’ as good as some of the early reviews suggest? I read in one that this album was as good as ‘Take This To Your Grave’ by Fall Out Boy which is heady praise indeed. Sadly that comparison is a little enthusiastic, but I do get the author’s point. This record is rough around the edges and has the same spunk and verve FOB had at that time in their careers. Sadly there’s no ‘Dead On Arrival’ or ‘Chicago…’ on this record, but there are still plenty of very good pop-punk anthems-in-waiting. ‘New Florence’ and ‘No Bed of Broken Glass’ are fun songs. They remind me a little of Hit The Lights before they went a bit soft. TTNY are perky and poppy and their vocal melodies are spot on throughout. The album’s over in a flash too, barely outstaying its welcome and never really spending too long on one song as to begin to grate. My only complaint would be that this record is a little familiar and hardly groundbreaking. It’s fun and has singalong tracks and, to be honest, that’s all you need in a release of this type. But there is a bit of a feeling that it’s all been heard before.
‘Road Maps & Heart Attacks’ is a very solid album. It deserves success and it deserves to be heard. I’m sure the release model will fulfill one of those two at least. If TTNY are lucky, both are attainable. In the meantime, turn up the volume and sing along.