Album Review: Apart From This - 'Daydream'

Although Australia is definitely a hotbed for some quality metal, hardcore and punk rock, we’ve traditionally been sorely lacking in the pop punk department. Despite our laid back attitude, beautiful beaches and the other clichéd stuff that seems conducive to pop punk, we’ve not really enjoyed the sort of pop punk that has come out of Southern California, nor more recently out of the rest of the US. Woefully, Short Stack is the closest thing we’ve got to a successful pop punk act. Thankfully for us, Melbourne upstarts Apart From This along with their label Takedown Records are here to save the day. With their debut “Daydream”, the lads provide five songs of catchy and sincere pop punk goodness reminiscent of New Found Glory and The Wonder Years. The high-energy and slightly heavier tinge of their sound is at times comparable to Skyway!, but Apart From This nevertheless offer something quite different to their Gold Coast label mates.

“You’ve Got It All Wrong” is a great intro track which instantly tells us what these guys are all about. A pretty familiar but oh-so-catchy pop punk riff, forcefully delivered but melodic singing and some gang vocals to top it off. “Fall Into Place” is an extremely bouncy, catchy tune which reeks of obvious New Found Glory influence (which rules!). The third track “Stay This Way” is probably the strongest song on this release, with driving, layered riffs and an infectious chorus. The incorporation of gang vocals again reflects these dudes’ hardcore roots and a desire to occasionally push their music into a heavier vein. Similarly, “Game Over” features all of modern pop punk’s standard elements: bouncy guitar hooks, lyrics about a friendship gone wrong and plenty of “wa-ohs!” The finale track “Messed Up” is a tight little acoustic number. Needless to say, as an acoustic track on a pop punk album it’s the soppy, emotional one. I mean this in the best possible way, because it is a good closer for a pretty solid first effort.

Apart From This don’t exactly offer anything we haven’t heard before, but “Daydream” is a whole lot of fun nonetheless. It’s a solid offering of five very catchy pop punk tunes, which is definitely a promising start for these boys. Good to see some young talent emerging from the baron pop punk landscape of Australia.

1. You've Got It All Wrong

2. Fall Into Place

3. Stay This Way

4. Game Over

5. Messed Up