With veteran emo acts like, Fall Out Boy, Weezer, and Dashboard Confessional completely abandoning their signature sounds in favor of bland electropop, is there any hope for The Get Up Kids?
The Get Up Kids is an American rock quintet who really lead the pack during the second wave of emo throughout the mid-1990s and 2000s.
Seven years after their last full length album, “There Are Rules,” the boys have returned with a brand new EP for the summer. Lasting only 13 minutes, this thing is a to-the-point emo pop release filled with pop punk bangers with a taste of garage rock.
The project’s intro track, “Maybe,” feels like something off of a 2000s high school comedy. The multiple guitars create a unique call and response sensation. The keyboards also add a nice touch. The vocals on the bridge are produced awfully. They are layered so low that they are barely audible. Despite this, the song kicks the EP off to a very strong start.
There is an admirable intimate and amateurish feeling on, “Better This Way.” Unfortunately, this causes the production to leave lead singer, Matt Pryor’s voice subdued by the guitars. From a songwriting standpoint, this cut feels the most generic in the bunch. It is listenable, however and far from anything as bad as the current selection of overproduced emo albums.
“I’m Sorry” is an obvious apology song. The chorus is moderately catchy, but the singing feels so mild it is difficult to take Pryor seriously. The bridge is also incredibly underwhelming.
“My Own Reflection” closes the EP in a satisfying conclusion. The keyboards return once again to add a bit more melody to the already dense instrumental. The singing is not particularly aggressive, but they are the most emotive on the entire project. When the song comes closer and closer to the end, it enters into this beautiful harmony between the instrumental and the singing.
While “Kicker” is in no way experimental or game changing, it is a solid release from a legacy rock outfit and a nice overall return to form for the genre. The songs are a little one note, but that is kind of expected given the project’s short length. Even the lowest moments at least passable.
Henry is a third year journalism student at Colorado State University with a minor in French. Outside of school, he writes for the arts and culture section of the Rocky Mountain Collegian and he hosts a radio show for the school radio station, KCSU.
