Day three in solitary confinement known as unemployment and Craigslist isn’t working out as good for me as it did for the guys of Chasing Claymores. The San Diego group was able to score a guitarist they clicked with, while I can’t even secure an interview. Oh well, at least I have time to listen to their album Hindsight’s 20/20.
Alternative Press declared one would like this group because they sounded like Four Year Strong, Set Your Goals and New Found Glory. There were no dual vocals or easy core breakdowns, and the nasal renditions were absent. Where the similarities to those bands lay, I have no clue, but I do know that it made the listening interesting. You go in expecting one thing and get something completely different.
So what does Chasing Claymores sound like to Golden Mixtape? Well not those three bands…Their music is rock, but doesn’t contain a sense of youth, although one of their best off the record is titled, “Youth is Wasted on Youth.” Which if you know me, it wins with the best lyric, “the spirit of the youth we have let’s take it to our grave.”
But back to the sound, it’s a mature rock one with a voice that appears to have depth. “I’m Taking It Back, I’m Taking It All Back” made me jot down “Kris Roe” in the margins of my digital notebook, because if you’ve ever heard The Ataris’ frontman wail it from the bottom of his heart, you too would compare this track to Roe and Co.
“Lightning in a Bottle” and “The Optimist” do their part to tip the scales in favor of maturity. As “The Optimist” went on, the uplifting essence summoned a comparison to Our Lady Peace. Thinking back to that song that Jeff Hardy used back in the WWE for his promo, both are songs that make you say, “fuck yeah, let’s do this.” What you’re doing? Whatever it is you set out to do.
Chasing Claymores wasn’t what I wanted them to be, but Hindsight’s 20/20 wasn’t a waste. It gave me something to do as Women’s Volleyball entertained my living room. So if you’re interested in a band with that new school pop punk sound, look elsewhere. Chasing Claymores is more for people who wish Rufio was still kicking like they were back in the day, and flocked to Kris Roe’s acoustic sets at Warped this year.
If you’re into the pop punk, pop rock…however you classify it that came about at the turn of the millennium, then get Chasing Claymore’s Hindsight’s 20/20, out now!
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