A Thousand Guitars Reviews Beneath It All
I have a guilty pop music pleasure. But when I do delve into the primly packaged world of polite music, I like it fast, full of attitude and with song hooks that are going to stick with me for days. The tunes produced by West Palm Beach, FL quartet, Hey Monday pretty much define this version of pop. Some might call it pop-punk. We'll call it power-pop and skip that sacrilegious association with punk.
Hey Monday was formed in 2008 and, after their debut album, Hold On Tight was released, they began touring with the Decaydance groups - The Academy Is... and Fall Out Boy, etc. and their popularity grew.
Now, minus one of their original members, they've got a new record out - the Beneath It All EP. It's a six-track album that doesn't hold all that much originality, but does hold a lot of catchy songs that work a formulaic sound rather well. (The fact that all of the songs were written by 20-year-old lead singer Cassadee Pope will make you respect the music a lot more.)
"I Don't Wanna Dance", the first single off the record surges ahead at full-speed with synth-filled beats and a strong guitar accompaniment. "Wish You Were Here" has a similar vibe.
"Hangover" and "Mr Pushover" are the lyrical highs on the record, the former song talking about waking up from a bad relationship and the latter thrashing the 'mister' who never stuck up for a relationship, or anything else he wanted. (We hope they aren't meant for the same poor shmuck...)
Hey Monday's Beneath It All is bright, fast, slick and poppy. It's nothing new but it is a fun sojourn out of the world of serious music.
Star Rating: 3
A Thousand Guitars