By John Bedard
Someone out there loves me this week. It is pretty embarrassing to admit this is the first time I’m getting around to checking out Belvedere with how much I love skate punk and it is a damn shame I have waited this long. Now that I have heard them, I can’t imagine my music collection without them being front and center. I know I just gave away the review in the beginning, but I can’t help it. I don’t get this hyped about a new album all that often. Fair warning gushing to follow.
The vocals are exactly what you would expect for the genre but yet stand out as a particularly good example of the style done right. There is no moment where things ever feel boring or overly repetitive. Instead, they manage to keep your interest through every moment of every track. I appreciate that the style is true to the genre as it was in the past. I never got that feeling I get with so many other bands where they try to fit in with more modern pop and just end up sounding like a sellout. This is true melodic skate punk as it is meant to be. True to the genre through and through
In most genres, I tend to consider political topics a negative. Especially these days we hear enough of it but with punk, it is expected and just feels right. Especially here, it is more conceptual like it used to be in the genre. They don’t really target specific people but rather the systems which I think is a far better way to make a point and far more interesting as the listener. It is also not overbearing or preachy. It is a hard thing to get right but they nail it here regardless of if you agree or disagree it is still an enjoyable experience.
Musically, things are very much the same. The style is what you would expect but once again stands out as a particularly good example. There is so much evolution in the tracks keeping things interesting and making the whole experience feel like it is going somewhere. It never feels slow or loses my attention. I was totally invested as the listener through the whole experience.
OK, that is probably enough gushing for one review so let’s wrap this up. I usually try to find a critique for every album I review but I just don’t have one here. The whole experience is perfectly crafted. This is a must-have album for anyone who is even a casual fan of the genre. Your collection is incomplete without it. Go pick it up. You won’t regret it!
- ‘Hindsight Is The Sixth Sense’ is released on 14 May. You can get your copy HERE.
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