I got a tweet from the dudes in Shambles about a week ago pestering me about (probably an email that I deleted) listening to and reviewing their debut EP. Lucky for them (and me, I guess) I actually took the time to listen to 15 seconds of the first song on the EP and liked it enough to download it for free via Bandcamp. For me, that’s saying a lot.
Enough about how much of jaded old man I am, let’s talk about Shambles.
Shambles is a band from Boston that plays the (seemingly) increasingly popular “vintage/throwback” style of pop-punk but manage to somehow do it better than most of their contemporaries. There’s plenty of melody and just enough angsty riffs and moshy breakdowns that I bet the band works kids into a frenzy when they play live. As far as comparisons go, I hear shades of Midtown, Junior Battles, (but with a little less sophistication) and a ton of mid 90′s major-ish pop-punk. I’m not saying this is in the same league as the following but in spots… (think Dear You or You Are Freaking Me Out or Losers Of The Year) but less so. Really, for me, all I need to know is that with song titles like, “Yep, 27 and Still Writing Pop-Punk,” how can I not like this?
The 6 song EP clocks in at a few ticks past 16 minutes and the fun and (sorta) old-school (but not that old-school) pop-punk isn’t really original or groundbreaking but this is Shambles’ first release, and a good start. It is a promising debut from a band that will hopefully find their own identity in the coming years. Good work dudes and thanks for being persistent.
MP3: Shambles – Yep, 27 And Still Writing Pop-Punk
Thanks for sharing this! I totally would’ve missed this band otherwise.
I associate this kind of music with Total Request Live and guys getting blue stripes in their hair and wearing plaid pants with suspenders. People don’t actually call that kind of music old school or vintage or throwback, right?