Source: Album Artwork
Most of the MOSH crew were born in the 90s (some were spawned in the 80s, which is just as good), so pop punk and bands like The Offspring, Green Day and Blink-182 were our first loves! And since punchy hooks narrated our whole lives, we have a special place in our hearts for the genre. So when these new pop punk bands take their place in our scene and join the indie labels that we know and love, we can’t help but be proud of our genre and the punchy tunes it has been producing since the 90s!
Milestones are one of these new bands that are keeping the genre evolving, and are inspiring a new, younger generation of pop punk fans. The 4-piece, hailing from Manchester, were signed to Fearless records in 2016, and have just released their debut album Red Lights.
Red Lights kicks off with the sugary sweet ‘BitterSweetHeart’. The delicate, melodious track is a pop punk love letter and features all the usual (but unbelievably cute) romantic pop charms. ‘Once Upon A Time’ has a very Mayday ‘Black Cat’ vibe and takes on the subject of happily never after. The punchy song features its fair share of woah oh oh’s and layered vocals.
The band’s instrumental work is quite impressive. Their use of tone and delicate flourishes across the album is something to take note of. Melodies like that of ‘Eighteen’ immediately have you wishing for a cute crush and the summer, and the moody ‘Liar’ has you at your angstiest.
This album is in the same vein of a Mayday Parade record, and since Milestones are label mates and fans of the heartbreak crew from Tallahassee, it makes sense.
As tuneful as Red Lights is, there is a lot of the same thing on the record. Where tracks like ‘Paranoid’ and ‘Forever Or Never’ light a spark in the album, ‘Against The World’ and ‘Counting Cars’ are a little repetitive and lacklustre.
Milestones have already proved that they know how to make heartfelt and beautiful ballads. They have also given us a taste of their punchy hooks, but we’re ready to see this quartet in full earthshaking pop punk force. And we have no doubt that it’s coming!
