Written By Kevin McSweeney
I’ve covered a number of EPs from the Sussex region recently. There was Beyond The New Horizon by Bognor Regis band iAtlas, and Fool Me Once by Brighton’s Bela Fool.
This is a first for me, however, as the equally Brightonian Look What Happened’s amusingly-titled new EP, Weak Minds for The Weekend, which is released independently on October 30th and follows on from their self-titled debut EP from last year, marks my maiden review of a pop-punk release.
In fact, I think it’s the first time such music has ever been covered here at Metal Lair, unless you count the review the boss did of Yungblud’s album Idols II last year. (I like to pretend this didn’t happen!
May I direct you towards the gaffer’s recent review of Songs to Moon by Stoned Jesus instead? Both album and article are absolutely splendid!)
I’ll be perfectly honest: pop-punk is really not my red plastic cup of weak, gassy American beer. The bands that LWH cite as influences – Blink 182, New Found Glory, Paramore etc – generally leave me cold.
I’ll admit to having something of a fondness for Bowling For Soup, mainly because of the highly funny lyrics of Jaret Reddick (and the fact that I’m a big guy too) – but that’s about it.
They’ve very much drawn the short stick with me reviewing them, therefore, and no, that’s not a reference to the diminutive nature of any appendage of mine. (Brighton is famous for its nudist beach. Suffice to say, I will not be availing myself of it any time soon!)
I must approach this task with an open mind, however. I bear in mind the wise words of Less Than Jake’s All My Friends are Metalheads, and I proceed with trepidation. Speaking of Less Than Jake, they had a song called Look What Happened. I wonder if that was the inspiration.
Look What Happened Weak Minds For The Weekend EP Review Track-by-Track Review
Opening track Masochist immediately conjures images in my mind of them leaping about in unison, wallet chains flapping furiously as they go.
It’s all vibrant major key melodies and big bundles of energy. It’s very much a Southern Californian vibe but Jamie Walker actually sounds British when he sings – perhaps not to the extent of fellow Brighton-based vocalist Jordan Nihil of Bela Fool, but the accent is discernible nonetheless.
Still, one imagines the sun shining as they perform. They do live in a beach resort, as I alluded to earlier, and we had an exceptionally good summer this year, so perhaps that’s to be expected. Who would it remind me of especially? Simple Plan? New Found Glory? I’m not sure. I don’t know if I actually have an area of expertise, but this certainly isn’t it.
Goldstone seems to be a little more in emo territory than the distinctly pop-punk opener, though it’s still based very much on major key melodies and sugary-sweet harmonies.
This is perhaps where the Paramore influence is coming to the fore. We occasionally get something verging on football terrace backing vocals, which is much more the preserve of the harder variants of punk rock.
Maybe this has been gleaned from time spent on the stands of Falmer Stadium, or perhaps they’re simply trying to differentiate themselves from Busted or McFly by adding a bit of venom to proceedings. I don’t know, but as someone who leans more towards the hardcore end of the punk spectrum, I appreciate it.
Make it Real is the lead single from the EP, released on October 23rd. I liked the semi-shouty vocal intro. It leads us into a moderately fast melodic punk track with something approaching a chug in the riff, in much the same way that Sum 41 occasionally added a metallic edge to their music.
Maiden and Priest were the Gods that they praised, if I remember rightly. Again, it’s a song with a catchy, melodic chorus with compelling vocal harmonies.
It kind of breaks down in the middle, but in a distinctly melodic way. We do get some more of those football terrace backing vocals, however, and it goes a bit faster and shouty towards the end. It’s still not much for Madball fans to get their broken teeth into, but I appreciate it nonetheless.
Things are a little different with the assonantly titled Liquid Equilibrium, which starts with some high-lying strummed bass in the manner of Peter Hook.
If they’re about to go in a darker, Joy Division-inspired direction, I’ll be very much here for it. Spoiler alert: they don’t, but at over four and a half minutes, this song is very much the EP’s lengthy epic.
It’s a slower and more serious take on the pop-punk sound, reminding me of Blink 182’s Stay Together for The Kids, and not least because it deals with a difficult subject matter, obviously that’s excessive alcohol consumption in this case, and families falling apart in the case of the Blink 182 song.
The visceral palm mutes in the verse work well in juxtaposition with the sweetness of the vocal harmonies and anthemic nature of the chorus. The distinctly British glottal stop deployed in the pronunciation of the word “reality” will no doubt amuse American listeners.
The pace picks up notably for Service Charge, the final track of the EP, and they’re not hanging around on this one, with the song being done and dusted in under two minutes, in stark contrast to its predecessor.
There’s an opening barrage of toms, then they launch into a fast but melodic song that reminds me of Bowling For Soup in their more frenetic moments, such as on Punk Rock 101.
It’s a little bit more potty-mouthed than anything I’ve heard from the rotund Texans, I might add. The sweetness of the harmonies is somewhat at odds with the swearing. It brings the EP to a close in a more frenzied manner than might be expected, given the relative slowness of the pace of life on the south coast.
So there we have it, and it was a more enjoyable experience than I had expected. While it doesn’t compare to my favourite release from a Brighton band this year, namely the mighty Matador’s outstanding Above, Below and So album, I really can’t fault it.
It’s got everything you’d want from pop-punk: the energy is off the chart, the harmonies are lavish and the hooks are big enough to reel in a basking shark. (Please don’t fish for basking sharks! I also live on the south coast, and I love to see them.)
Whether or not they can extend this exuberance over the course of a full-length album remains to be seen. We look forward to finding out, and hopefully not before long.
Metal Lair awards Weak Minds for The Weekend by Look What Happened four devil horns out of five.
Tracklisting:
1. Masochist
2. Goldstone
3. Make it Real
4. Liquid Equilibrium
5. Service Charge
Line-Up:
Jamie Walker – Vocals
Ryan Hancock – Guitar
Billy-Joe Clark – Guitar
Joshua Taylor – Bass
Jack Lowe – Drums
Look What Happened Online
About The Author
Kevin McSweeney is Metal Lair’s resident scribe of the underground, eternally rummaging through the global metal scene for riffs worth your time.
As the guiding hand behind Seven Deadly Songs every Friday, he has an uncanny knack for finding the track you didn’t know you needed, usually before finishing his pint.
Equal parts loyal, kind, and quietly razor-witted, Kevin brings deep knowledge, impeccable taste, and a steady, reliable presence to Metal Lair.
Read More From This Author:
Leng Tch’e Hammered Into Collapse EP Review: Five Minutes of Grindcore Brutality
Fail The Enemy Sandcastles EP Review: Gothic Synths Meet Alternative Metal
Album Review: Keep The Fire Burning by Mikey Ball and The Company
THE COLLAPSE OF A BITTER END ALBUM REVIEW: THE CARTOGRAPHER
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