By Jeff Feuerhaken
As the landscape of the music industry continues its shift towards a bubblegum dance pop monopoly, it seems it’s getting harder and harder for alternative genres of music to find their place and maintain relevance. Most of the punk rock and hardcore acts that have formed (or re-formed) seem to rely on the nostalgia factor, taking the listener back in time to the heyday of that style. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear some of these bands writing new hate songs about Reagan. However, in the case of New York City’s H2O, they’re forgoing the novelty approach and making their own case for punk rock relevance now and moving forward. Their brand new album, Use Your Voice, the band’s first since the 2011 covers album Don’t Forget Your Roots, is a showcase of the traditional hardcore style, but done in a way that can appeal to a contemporary audience (even if that audience is the slightly greying crowd that grew up on the older stuff).
Although the songs are loud, aggressive, and fast (the entire album clocks in less than 23 minutes), it’s the message and themes that are accessible in a way that relates to a current audience. Singer Toby Morse sings songs about the joys of fatherhood (“Father Figure”), the dichotomy between living life in social media and reality (“#NotRealLife”), and most interestingly, embracing your personal tastes, regardless of the cheese factor (“Popage”). But it’s not just the topics of conversation that set H2O apart from their hardcore contemporaries, it’s also the blatant optimism in their approach. Rarely do you hear bands with such an aggressive musical style shun the expected angst and bitterness and instead turn from the dark side to deliver a message of positivity and hope.
The album was produced by Chad Gilbert (the hardcore dude from New Found Glory) and Paul Miner (Orange County, CA vet). The result of this producing teamup is an album that sounds big, tight, and in-your-face but without sounding overcooked. The first single, “Skate!” is accompanied by a killer music video which features vintage half-pipe footage of young Toby, along with the legendary Steve Caballero busting frontside grinds in the Vans Combi Bowl with his guitar strapped on. Check it out here. It’s cool to hear Toby channel his inner Johnny Rad when he belts out the lyrics, “Skate and destroy! Skate and create!” Anyone who’s seen the classic Bones Brigade vid, The Search For Animal Chin, should catch that reference.
H2O’s Use Your Voice is a solid punk/hardcore record that manages to channel the glory days of the “EpiFat” scene, while also managing to stay relevant and fresh. Highly recommended for anyone who likes a little positivity in their punk.
Score: 6/8 stars
(Bridge Nine Records)
