Usually around this time of night I’m plotting what I have to do the next day. The list more often than not contains around five things to write for the day, cleaning and some random act. Tonight I wrote my “to do” fast and then tossed around the idea of asking this guy out. If you’ve been reading since last year, yes…the same dude. If you’re new, well it’s a long story and the summary is I’m socially inept. Then I decided to take a break from all that and listen to The Halftime Show’s Hope, Loss & Everything Between. Another band this week from the UK bringing us some good ol’ fashion pop punk that was heavy on the heartbreak.
Let’s talk about the first part of the record that wasn’t all tales of former loves. Listening to “Head Above Water” was like listening to a young man declare his independence in musical form. There was mention of “never going home,” and I chalked that up to the band going for it in terms of their career. I could be reading too into it, but it’s 1am, so I’m running with my initial thought. I wasn’t too fond of “Porch Light,” or rather the weakest link in my mind. It was like a rough draft of an essay got turned in. It definitely needed some more work to be up to speed with the rest.
Now to the love loss. When you hear “8 Ways To Feel Inadequate” you think that the rest of the record will play as this one; regretting the breakup. Besides the rest not being anything like that, I was only upset that we never really learned the 8 ways. There were no lists readily available. Other than that, “8 Ways To Feel Inadequate” was my favorite track both lyrically and musically.
After that track, the album takes a turn. In “8 Ways…” you hear a sense of regret. In “I’m Not The Only One Who’s Written A Song About You” all bets are off and the person who’s been broken up with is pissed. This track serves up the most punk of the pop punk The Halftime Show have. Also, with a title like that, someone call Taylor Swift, she’s got competition. Rounding out the record is a sad song. Regret, rage and ending with “Cringe.” The last song on the album makes you feel bummed because it’s a somber tone all the way through.
The Halftime Show’s Hope, Loss & Everything Between is a pretty solid record in terms of arrangement. The strengths for me were in the trio of songs that told the cycle of a break up with a pop punk backdrop. Because the vocals reminded me of early Tom Delonge, I’d say fans of Cheshire Cat and bands like Only On Weekends and Starters would be into what The Halftime Show have going on. If that sounds like you, then check out Hope, Loss & Everything Between, out now.
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