The Sleights are back with a brand new slab of pop punk goodness! The Colorado quartet have been kicking around for nearly a decade now, spreading their brand of post-adolescent angst and humor far and wide. With their latest effort, This One’s Gonna Hurt, they are clearly seeking to step up their game. With the backing of Rad Girlfriend Records and What’s Left Records, these gentleman brought their new tome to the masses on April 25th.
While this may not be a concept album in the strictest terms, there is certainly a common theme that ties these 12 tracks together. Depression and resignation seem to be ever present in the lyrics, but not in a mopey Morrissey sort of way. Tracks like “Generations”, “Believe”, and “Dirt” don’t beg for sympathy so much as solidarity. We all go through rough times and bad mental health days, but singer Luke Blanton delivers this sentiment with a wicked grin and tongue planted firmly in cheek. This is no sad sack emo outing. First and foremost, this record is a party record, meant to be blasted from a trashy stereo in an overcrowded punker pad.
Aside from the general themes of ennui, several of the standout tunes here deal more specifically with the hardship of failing relationships and the need to understand and adjudicate blame, knowing that ultimately it makes no difference. Such is the case with the standout single “Already Gone”, which features the stellar guest vocal stylings of Jen Razavi of The Bombpops. If you’ve ever been in a long-distance relationship, then this may just hit home. The fragility of a love gone cold and the reluctance to call it a day is something I’m sure most of us have weathered at one time or another. The playful back and forth, and sugary harmonies make this an obvious choice for lead single. The subject matter pops up again throughout songs like “I Know What I Said” and “Avenue”, but never quite as sweetly or with the same ear worm catchiness as we find here.
Other standout tracks include “Bridge To Nowhere”, a blistering 2 minute ode to the pitfalls and circle pits that come along with spending your youth living in what is affectionately known as a punk house. If this little tale of drunken debauchery doesn’t resonate, I’m afraid you just haven’t lived. Nothing builds character quite like sleeping on a moldy mattress, smoking bargain cigarettes, and making the heart wrenching choice between spending your last couple of bucks on a basement show or a tall boy of malt liquor. Don’t fret though. If the subject matter doesn’t get you nostalgic, the requisite whoas will.
Second single “Day In The Life” brings us back down to the dirt with a walk through the ups and downs (okay, mostly downs) of a day in the neighborhood of Knob Hill, where the band practices. It’s a fun, if somewhat melancholy little bop. Despite it’s down in the dumps lyrical content, this one will have you bobbing your head and grinning from start to finish. The musicianship and production across the length of this record are top notch and full of well recorded hooks and melodies, which is all the more impressive considering most of the tracks barely hit the 3 minute mark.
If you enjoy your pop punk with a little grit, this record might just be for you. It’s just rough enough around the edges to keep you out of bubblegum territory, but hooky enough to make Dan Vapid proud. If a mix of The Methadones melodies, the adolescent humor of fellow Colorado natives The Nobodys, and the Ramones ethos of “Keep it simple, stupid” sounds like a good time to you, then pick yourself up a copy from Rad Girlfriend Records or stream it on The Sleights’ Bandcamp!
CATCH THE SLEIGHTS ON TOUR:
MAY 2 – Seattle, WA @ Kraken
MAY – Tacoma, WA @ The Valley
MAY – Seattle, WA @ Marginal Way Skate Park
JUN – Billings, MT @ TBA
JUN – Casper, WY @ Oil City Brewing
JUN – Sheridan, WY @ My Buddy’s Place
JUN – Denver, CO @ Bar 404
AUG – Salida, CO @ Salida Punk Fest
Discover more from Dying Scene
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
