August 20, 2021
Written By Eric Foreman
THE VIOLET VIOLENCE RELEASES ETHEREAL EP "ABOVE THE ECHOES"
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As pop punk reintegrated into the mainstream, there is a lot of excited commentary about the future of the genre. New sounds, new faces and new directions spell a unique path for what’s to come. While the future is promising, pop-punk has always been a style of music that is sharply empowered by nostalgia. Baltimore 5-piece The Violet Violence deliver a reminder of the bustling late 2000’s pop punk scene, not as goofy as the neon that preceded it but just before bands immersed fully into the flannel and self-seriousness of the early 2010’s.
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One hallmark band of the emotive, college pop-punk boom was the Wonder Years. Known for their hard-hitting instrumentals and challenging lyrics they paved the way for the stylistic shift of that era.
Opening track “Holding On (To Living Long)” opens with a scaling guitar riff that immediately evokes the bright-eyed sound of early Set it Off or A Loss for Words. The song dives into a driving, palm-muted verse with vocalist Pat Collins supplying continuous energy that pushes the track forward into the pre-chorus. An immediate strength of this EP is its infectiousness. The chorus of each track on this release sticks with the listener First single “Novocaine” begins with a bouncy intro, reminiscent of Paramore’s iconic That’s What You Get before it follows up on the winning formula of the first track. It is clear to the listener that these songs were meant to be heard in the environment of a live show. The infectious energy inherent to each track begs to shoot through a room of peers indulging in the comradery and excitement that has evaded music listeners over the past year and a half. EP standout “Heart Up” delivers a peek into the very capable guitar work of Tim Lyons and Nick Patrick, peppering the bouncy tune with noodling riffs to fill the spaces. Final track “Sleep it Off” boasts the band’s surprising aptitude for easycore. The guitars are distorted and chunky, the drums are pounding and the energy is abundant. The track follows through with Collins’ ability to write smooth chorus melodies until the end of the song crashes into a pummeling breakdown that carries the listener until the end.
Opening track “Holding On (To Living Long)” opens with a scaling guitar riff that immediately evokes the bright-eyed sound of early Set it Off or A Loss for Words. The song dives into a driving, palm-muted verse with vocalist Pat Collins supplying continuous energy that pushes the track forward into the pre-chorus. An immediate strength of this EP is its infectiousness. The chorus of each track on this release sticks with the listener First single “Novocaine” begins with a bouncy intro, reminiscent of Paramore’s iconic That’s What You Get before it follows up on the winning formula of the first track. It is clear to the listener that these songs were meant to be heard in the environment of a live show. The infectious energy inherent to each track begs to shoot through a room of peers indulging in the comradery and excitement that has evaded music listeners over the past year and a half. EP standout “Heart Up” delivers a peek into the very capable guitar work of Tim Lyons and Nick Patrick, peppering the bouncy tune with noodling riffs to fill the spaces. Final track “Sleep it Off” boasts the band’s surprising aptitude for easycore. The guitars are distorted and chunky, the drums are pounding and the energy is abundant. The track follows through with Collins’ ability to write smooth chorus melodies until the end of the song crashes into a pummeling breakdown that carries the listener until the end.
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The debut release from Baltimore’s The Violet Violence is a fun listen. While it is tempting to compare the EP to early tracks from previous pop punk heavy weights, it also helps explain the immediate appeal of the band. The 5-piece capitalize successfully on what drove the genre to new heights 10 years ago, packaging the sound and delivery to the tik tok generation. Further, there is quite a bit of promise shown in this release that builds excitement for whatever is coming next. I, personally, hope for more breakdown’s, more infectious choruses and more success for this thriving young group.
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