Album Review: Milestones - 'Growing Up Is Getting Old'

27 September 2010 | 4:13 pm | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

Huge improvement for the Brisbane five piece.

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I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with the debut EP from Brisbane based pop punk band Milestones. I found their demo to be quite average, but they have definitely stepped things up with this EP, which is bound to gain the band a new legion on fans.


The EP starts off with a pretty run of the mill intro in the title track, before blasting into “Safe And Sound”, which sets the standard for the rest of the record to come. One of the main issues I had with the demo was singer Josh Bellchambers’ vocals, they sounded quite weak and didn’t fit in with the music at all, but this factor has improved out of sight on this EP.


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Musically “Reggie Hammond, You Have Two Days Of Freedom!” reminds me a bit of beloved Canadian pop punk outfit Daggermouth. The guest vocals by Too Late Escape’s Nick Bellringer provide a good contrast between him and Bellchambers’ raspy vocals, giving the track a bit of variety. “When We Were Young” backs this song up perfectly, as it is one of the most accessable tracks on the release. Former Gifthorse and current Headaches vocalist Shane Collins lends his vocals to the track, which is a nice surprise as Collins has a great voice, and anything to do with The Gifthorse is always bound to produce a positive result. The track shows the bands songwriting has improved in leaps and bounds since the demo.


Selfishly Insincere” is significantly slower than any of the tracks that have already been heard, and doesn’t contain the spark that those tracks have in them. This is by no means a bad song at all, it just falls short of the other tracks and will be easily forgotten compared to them. Things start to pick up again with the standout track on the EP “Your Misery, Won't Keep Me Company”, which features guest vocals by Skyway’s Dan McMaster. McMaster’s vocals sound fantastic, and not as produced as what they are on Skyway’s releases.


The EP’s closer “Where's My Nintendo, Let’s Play Goldeneye” is bound to grab some people’s attention due to the name alone, and although it was always going to have a tough time backing the previous track, it closes out the EP on a high note, proving the Milestones have the ability to craft a quality EP.

Milestones have produced a much catchier and mature release than last seen on their demo. “Growing Up Is Getting Old” proves that this band definitely has potential, and if they can back up this release with some solid touring, then there is no reason at all that this band can’t achieve something good.

1. Growing Up Is Getting Old

2. Safe And Sound

3. Reggie Hammond, You Have Two Days Of Freedom!

4. When We Were Young

5. Selfishly Insincere

6. Your Misery, Won't Keep Me Company

7. Where's My Nintendo, Let’s Play Goldeneye