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**