In 2010, my (now defunct) band Bizarro Me played a show opening for Timeshares at a venue dubbed “Fort Smiles” in the quiet college town of New Paltz, NY. It was a fun time, and it was notable for being Bizarro Me’s first show where we had demos to hand out. One of the dudes from Timeshares got his hands on one of those demos, and, according to Bizarro Me’s drummer, had some less-than-nice words to say about my guitar tone and my ability to tune. (For the record, my guitar was tuned properly. I was just dumb and played the completely wrong chord progression on one song.) I decided then and there to never listen to Timeshares again. And I never did.
At least until I put on Already Dead. And damn… who needs to hold on to high school-esque grudges when you could be listening to albums like this?
Timeshares’ debut album, Bearable, was compared to Latterman on several occasions and for good reason: the shouted vocals were very bearish and there was an explosive quality to the song structures. On Already Dead, Timeshares expands upon that groundwork, adding in new elements and sounds, and in the process they come off as more seasoned and well-traveled. Early press releases have thrown Lucero’s name into the mix, but while Already Dead gets twangy as times, it’s not exactly cowpunk, and there are still plenty of gruff pop punk hooks. One thing is for sure: this is a confident record, with tight musicianship and lyrics that take a more personal approach.
“Stateline to Stateline” starts the album off on a semi-mellow note, helping to introduce the sonic shift to listeners, before kicking things up a notch with track two, “Tail Light.” That aforementioned guitar twang is there, but this time it’s backed up to the brim with some good old fashioned punk energy. These two songs kind of act as a guide of what to expect for the rest of the album: a laid-back vibe from tunes like lead singles “The Bad Parts” and “Spend the Night” interspersed with heavy hitting tracks like “Heavy Hangs,” “(Corner of) Park and Park,” and “Sister.” It might not be the first album to meld these kinds of sounds together, but that doesn’t stop it from being any less fun to listen to.
Releasing an album that deviates from a previously established sound can be tricky for artists, especially when it comes to playing punk rock (put us into large groups and we’re a fickle bunch, don’t deny it). Luckily for Timeshares, their back discography isn’t very extensive, so releasing an album like Already Dead can’t be seen as changing their sound so much as it should be seen as them defining it. Timeshares have grown in numerous ways, and Already Dead deserves the attention of everyone. Even that of people they may have insulted years ago.
4 / 5
RIYL: The Draft, The Replacements, Bangers