Album Review: Daytrader - 'Twelve Years'

When I found out that Daytrader's debut full length 'Twelve Years' was produced by Mike Sapone (Brand New, Taking Back Sunday), I was partly expecting the recording to be pretty slick. Thankfully however, it turned out to be old school Sapone, with a rough edge to all of the sounds, which suits this music perfectly and makes the album even better.

The band, featuring ex-members of Crime in Stereo, Latterman, and Divider, are following up the release of their EP ‘Last Days Of Rome’ in early 2011 with a record full of intense alternative rock songs with feeling.

The record opens with a dense, palm muted guitar and melody heavy vocal lines in Deadfriends, which eventually includes the rhythm section which lock in to make things even thicker, more aggressive and all round awesome. The band follows this with the second track If You Need It, which kicks off with some acoustic guitar and an all round brighter feel. The reverb heavy vocals give this track a classic feel, like a modern day Boys Of Summer or something.

Fans of early Funeral For A Friend, Further Seems Forever and Anberlin, that whole early emotional rock scene will completely relate to Firebreather, a song that encapsulates that sound better than any other band has in recent years. Skin & Bones darkens the mood and lowers the tones but offers one of the most vocally honest performances of the record when the soft singing turns into a passionate scream.

The softest moment on the album, Heard It In A Song is an acoustic number that is reminiscent of Bayside's acoustic works, solemn and heartfelt, supported by a simple string line and a nice break between the energetic tracks that come before it. The record closes on Letter To A Former Lover, a driving rock song made strong by it's varying guitar tones that create the amazing dynamics of the track and end the record on a high note.

Daytrader snuck up on us with this one, "Oh, hey guys, here's our new album, whatever." This record deserves a bigger entry than that, more fanfare, and to be heard by many, because honest rock music like this doesn't come around every day anymore, unfortunately.

1. Deadfriends
2. If You Need It
3. Firebreather
4. Skin & Bones
5. Lost Between The Coasts
6. After-Image
7. Struggle With Me
8. Silver Graves
9. Heard It In A Song
10. Letter To A Former Lover