Album Review: Save Your Breath - 'There Used to Be a Place for Us'

4 October 2013 | 9:35 pm | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

A great pop-punk record that shows this band at the top of their game.

A fun and energetic record, Save Your Breath's 'There Used to Be a Place for Us' is filled with catchy songs and a refreshing brand of pop punk. If you're sick of all the pizza-eating, Hawaiian shirt-wearing yahoos playing recycled drivel and doing punk jumps then this album might be just what you need.

Frist track 'Lessons', opens the full-length in superb fashion. A high-octane song with killer vocal harmonies, one could easily be reminded slightly of bands like early Senses Fail or The Used. Whether this resemblance is intentional or not, it's a winning formula all the same. Next track, 'Whole', sets a different tone and sounds much more akin to Transit with its poppy, upbeat vibe and maddeningly catchy chorus. You'll be humming this one for days, guaranteed.

Overall the record sticks to the foundations laid down in these first couple of tunes. While the band jumps back and forth between moods and styles, it's more or less those fundamentals; emo/post-punk circa 2004 and joyfully upbeat pop punk. Although, that's not to say this is a two-dimensional album, because it isn't. So don't get the wrong idea, there's something here for everyone to enjoy.

Musically, the album comes together very nicely. The vocals are delightful, making extensive use of two-part harmonies, especially during choruses. There's also some excellent lyrical moments and more sing-a-long sections than you'll know what to do with. The rest of the band does their part too, providing excellent melodies and backing. Instrumentally it's not very flashy, but it doesn't need to be.

Put simply, Save Your Breath have crafted a fantastic record with 'There Used to Be a Place for Us'. If you're not a fan of the genre, don't be too hasty to pass it up because this isn't typical pop punk. In fact, we're starting to doubt that it is pop punk at all. Be warned though; listening to this album will cause incessant humming and/or whistling for weeks after exposure.

1. Lessons

2. Whole

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3. Maps

4. Harrow Road

5. Skin and Bones

6. Abandon

7. Find a Way

8. The World is Yours

9. Airs and Graces

10. Touchpaper

11. There Used to Be a Place for Us