South Carolina pop-punkers Brigades are the latest band on the scene and, by combining touches of alternative and post-hardcore with their steady pop-punk sound, they hope to put themselves one step ahead of the rest with debut album Indefinite.
Brigades are described as a “breakout pop-punk band” (yes, another one!) and there’s no denying the unmissable pop hooks and punk riffs that surge on throughout Indefinite. The album opens with its title track, sporting the more mature thread recently heard from pop-punk heroes All Time Low, although with a much heavier touch. The pop-punk influences keep on rolling, from the raw, angsty style of ‘90s pop-punk – think somewhere along the Sum 41 route – in ‘Fundamentals of Being Sentimental’ to the album’s single, ‘Enemy’, which has the more authentic, unpolished sound of earthy pop-punk band ROAM – but with a distinct American vibe, of course.
However, Brigades do go the extra mile to occasionally grab at other sounds with Indefinite, allowing them to develop further than your plain ‘n’ simple pop-punk band. There’s a darkness that reverberates throughout the album, with ‘Knife Dance’ and ‘Undertow’ hinting towards a more sombre side of the usually happy-go-lucky genre, almost delving into alt-rock territory. The heavier, harsher moments of the album, as heard in ‘Foxholes & Deathbeds’, even lean towards modern post-hardcore that isn’t a whole world away from the likes of Pierce the Veil.
It’s obvious that Brigades are trying to think outside the box, and that’s the exact mentality we are desperate to hear from pop-punk bands right now as the genre continues to grow and thrive. But it’s not enough just to diversify; they’ve got to really blow us away to stand out these days and, while Indefinite is a great album with plenty to satisfy your pop-punk needs, it’s not exactly a knockout.
