Soundtrack To Summer

After a long three years, Simple Plan have finally put themselves back on the radar with brand new album Get our Heart On! With an album title like that, and with the excitable exclamation point, it’s clear Simple Plan have made a record they simply want people to love. And to be quite honest, it’s pretty hard not to. 

  Kicking things off with You Suck At Love, a song with a chorus that’s so unbelievably addictive, with undeniable All Time Low-esque qualities, the band make an energetic start that’s sure to get any toe-tapping. Following on is hit single, Can’t Keep My Hands Off You, featuring guest vocals from Weezer frontman, Rivers Cuomo, serving to keep the party atmosphere going, and the heads bopping. It’s fair to say this album is no short of get-up-and-go, and with openers like these two, along with the vibrant and melodic Loser Of The Year, and Freaking Me Out, featuring guest vocals from All Time Low frontman, Alex Gaskarth, Simple Plan are already onto a winning record - and are likely to please any All Time Low fan along the way.

     But it’s not all carefree, lively songs that fill this album. The band tone things down with Astronaut, and Gone Too Soon, which serve to show off a calmer, softer side to this group, whilst the typical infectious chorus lines manage to keep you hooked. Songs Anywhere Else But Here, and Summer Paradise are some of the weaker, throw away tracks on this album, and are extremely repetitive in places. But the stand out track on this album would be This Song Saved My Life. Although it’s a far cry from the upbeat, enthusiastic start to the record, it is undeniably a perfect way to finish. With the steady intro which builds to the powerful eruption of the chorus, and the deep, heartfelt lyrics, it seems as if the band are dedicating a symphony to music itself: a song which will 

undoubtedly be appreciated and respected by music lovers everywhere.

     Get Your Heart On! is a fun, vibrant, infectious pop-punk record, full on infectious, foot-stomping beats, heart-felt ballads, and an energy that is simply inescapable. This is a band who know how to deliver compelling, and irresistible music: they do it with ease. The record is bursting with vibrancy and life, making it the perfect summer soundtrack, and with guest vocals form Rivers Cuomo, Natasha Bedingfield, Alex Gaskarth and K’naan, it’s certainly no short of star quality. But it’s the contagious, catchy beats of Simple Plan that make this record so addictive.


**As seen in The Motion Online**

The Only Way Is Up

A Swell-Effort From The Swellers

Good For Me is the latest instalment from Michigan skate punk band, The Swellers, and is certainly a record worthy of your attention. The album soars through raging, driving guitar riffs, delivered in the excitable, blistering pace that is signature to The Swellers, taking listeners through a whirlwind of captivating punk anthems.   It’s fair to say this is a fairly stable and consistent record, demonstrating how the band have grown and progressed to finally discover their sound. Indeed there are no big surprises on this album, with the band avoiding experimenting with new sounds, or incorporating synthetic elements. What they have produced is quite the opposite. Good For Me is a straight up, high voltage, in-your-face rock record: No nonsense.

     The instrumentation is undeniably the driving force behind the album, with rhythm section, Anto Boros on bass, and Jono Diener providing a powerful backbone with his double-time drumming paving the way, giving it that energy and kick which makes this record far from boring. Songs The Runaways, Parkview, and Inside My Head are some of the catchier ones on the album, capable of prompting chant-worthy sing-a-longs, whilst songs Better Things and On The Line serve to slow the pace down slightly. The lyrics, although a little repetitive in places, are kept simple yet meaningful, allowing listeners to enjoy the record without having to dig too deep. Much of the lyrics on this album are quite nostalgic, particularly on lead single The Best I Ever Had. It is this simplistic, straight-forward honesty of singer Nick Diener, set against the blistering melodies which make this album so engaging.

     The Swellers have returned what with what is certainly their best album yet. The band have produced tight, well delivered, catchy songs, with a meaty guitar sound, which ensures this album will be well received within a live setting. Indeed Good For Me is a well-crafted record, showcasing the band’s growth and maturity, but yet it retains echoes of that ‘typical’ Swellers style, proving them to be a band who has stayed true to their roots and are in no hurry to shed their former identity. This is a vibrant, energetic, but above all enjoyable record, packed full of melodic punk-rock anthems, which are simply irresistible. For The Swellers, it seems the only way is up.

**As seen in The Motion Online**

Sugar, Spice, And All Things Nice

Dirty Work is everything you would expect from the young pop-punk quartet. It’s fun, vibrant, energetic, and so damn catchy it’s near impossible not to get hooked.

     The album kicks off in true party style with Do You Want Me (Dead?), a song that soars through chant worthy choruses sure to prompt raucous crowd sing-a-longs and a healthy dose of incessant pogoing. The party vibe continues with hit single I Feel Like Dancin’ (co-written with Rivers Cuomo of Weezer) – a title that undeniably rings true after listening to this album – through to anthemic numbers including Just The Way I’m Not, Forget About It and Heroes to name a few.

     But it’s not all party-system-go on Dirty Work. The band have shown they’re capable of producing a more sophisticated and mature record, both musically and lyrically. Ballad-like numbers such as A Daydream Away and No Idea, show the band producing more in-depth, meaningful and heartfelt songs, contrasting greatly to their typical party animal attitude. Another surprise with this album is the step away from the formerly raw, cut-edge sound of All Time Low, into a more refined and somewhat synthetic sound - a sound we’re not used to hearing from this band. It seems they have chosen to take some risks this time around, and are experimenting with a range of different sounds. But this all adds to the excitement and fun of this album, giving it diversity. Besides, who wants to the same old thing over and over again anyway?

      Dirty Work is a vibrant, energetic album, packed full of addictive, irresistible hooks and driving riffs, which give the album energy and drive. Despite the evident growth in maturity with this album, the ever witty and cheeky lyrics are unquestionably still within the mix, shown off particularly in Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass – well, the title says it all doesn’t it. Indeed, these songs are no short of entertaining. Even though there’s a loss of pace slightly mid-way through, as the band launch into more sombre, ballad-like songs which leaves the album struggling to regain its former enthusiastic start, there’s no denying that Dirty Work has plenty of get-up-and-go, with charm, wit and charisma by the bucket load, making this album pretty damn hard to resist.