Homebound, the Farnham based pop-punk outfit have released, for me, arguably one of the strongest collections of the year. There is so much across this release that causes it to stand above the myriad other pop-punk albums and EP’s coming out. For example, there are traces of much heavier elements scattered amongst the more upbeat pop-punk foundations. Opening track ‘Change of Heart’ with moments reminiscent of early Underoath, while track 2 ‘Coming Clean’ touches upon something akin to Architects, but in such fleeting moments, sparingly used, that it forces you to pay attention, demonstrating that this is more than just another summer pop-punk outing.
Track 5 ‘Yours Truly’ is something different too, but where the previous track seems to depart from what has become expected, ‘Yours Truly’ flows as an almost natural progression and conclusion to the release. Perfectly finding that balance of concluding strongly, with just enough of leaving us wanting more.
That is not to say it’s perfect. Track 4 ‘Indelible’ for instance lacks that edge that is displayed throughout the other tracks, instead opting for something a little less punchy, which just lets the release down slightly. It is not a bad track by any means, it just feels slightly out of place with its surrounding. But this is such a minor issue that it really does not warrant dwelling on.And this is the case throughout the 5 tracks that make up ‘More To Me Than Misery‘. The thought and quality that has gone into each of the tracks. Each with their own little nuances that are picked up on and that offer something different with every listen. It is this factor that makes it so difficult to pick any one stand out track. Instead ‘More To Me Than Misery‘ is a genuinely exciting collection of tracks that each deserves the same level attention from us with which they were crafted.
Homebound have done a really outstanding job with More To Me Than Misery and with the end of the year in sight it feels there is few that will be able to match it.
