A Day To Remember are one of the most influential bands of the last decade, and Homesick was the album that confirmed it. The Californian’s have created a fusion of pop-punk and metal that has attracted such a huge fan base because they’re so upbeat and catchy that fans of You Me At Six and All Time Low love them, yet their breakdowns are so crushing that even heavyweights August Burns Red were happy to support them on their last UK tour. Their style shouldn’t really work, but it does.
Opening track A Downfall Of Us All is the prime example of their successful mixture. The “high school” reminiscent style of chanting the intro rhythm sets a cheesy tone, until vocalist Jeremy McKinnon roars “let’s go” and the band unleash fury. They are able to flow from chord-driven choruses to powerful chugging with ease, which releases the tension that the two styles should have when placed together, making it seem natural and unforced.
There are a few tracks that stick to one style, such as Mr. Highway’s Thinking About The End and Have Faith In Me, that settle in equally well. Mr. Highway is arguably one of the heaviest tracks ever written but still manages to encompass an infectious chorus, whilst Have Faith slows things down to show their softer and calmer abilities. These tracks work differently in a way that the two approaches are so obviously contrasted that it makes the heavier seem heavier and the softer seem softer, rather than combining them together in an individual track to complement each other.
A Day To Remember have been doing what they do all their careers, but they reached their peak of perfection on Homesick. It was the album that bought their loveable uniqueness to a mass audience and successfully bridged the gap between two pre-defined, barely shifting genres. Unfortunately, their success has bought with it the unwanted exposure of copy-cats, but A Day To Remember will always lead the pack in many people’s minds.
