Fourbanger stats: 5 years, 4 members, 3 albums, 2 member changes, 1 extremely polished, veteran band. As a result of all of that, Fourbanger knows how to make a really awesome punk song. This group of 12 songs will make your heart beat faster. Definitely.
If there’s one thing 4b doesn’t do, it’s drag out songs. The longest song is 3:22, and the rest of them have an average of under 3 minutes. Don’t be confused though. They pack a lot in. The first thing that hits you is the vocals. They have two singers, and they switch off lead vocal abilities. The second thought that hits you is “Wow….they are both really freakin good!” If they were in separate bands, both those bands would be highly talented. Put them together and you have an excess of talent. They make up for this in great arrangements, and extremely tight, well-crafted countermelodies and harmonies. But still, they don’t waste a second, cramming in nothing unnecessary. Breakdowns hardly hold a place in the 4b formula of punk, but when there is one, dang it’s good. Their guitars aren’t as showy as most punk guitars are, and that makes them a much more cohesive unit. After listening to this entire album, I can find only one semi-showy riff. Don’t take this wrong. 4B has some extreme riffs. It’s just that they know when to scale back their egos for the better interest of the song. That’s a highly veteran move. The bassist is extremely talented as well, as clearly shown on “Sunday Afternoon”, where he gets a solo. Highlights here include the wild tempos and dynamics of the aforementioned “Sunday Afternoon”, and the best-of-everything “6 AM”.
This is a punk band that knows what it wants to be when it grows up: a punk band. This no mediocre pop-punk. This is blistering stuff that contends with Blink and NFG for your attention. If you consider yourself a fan of pop-punk, get this album. They are on the brink of breaking in. I don’t usually say that for punk bands, cause punk bands are a dime a dozen. But these guys………they’re the real deal.
Read: www.fourbanger.com
Listen: www.fourbanger.com