By Jonny Bakes
Let’s face it, there are some combinations that are undebatable classics that just go hand in hand. Salt and Vinegar for example, or perhaps Korpiklaani and drinking. But then there are other combinations that are a bit more dubious, like I had an ex-girlfriend who thought that dipping McDonalds fries into a milkshake was the best thing… I wholeheartedly disagree! Why is this relevant? Well, an album came to my attention that claimed to be a pretty unusual combination of influences – Green Day, The Arctic Monkeys and Rob Zombie. Needless to say, I was intrigued as to how such a varied combination could be pulled off successfully, so I decided to take the plunge and give the latest album from Conway a chance.
Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, Conway have been bringing their alt-rock sound across the American Midwest through some pretty relentless gigging to support their 2018 debut EP ‘Last Chance to Dance’. But now it’s time for a full-length album that comes in the form of ‘Something Wicked’. Will this become the soundtrack to your quarantine, or will this be something you’ll avoid like the plague? Let’s dive in and find out what it sounds like!
So, at first listen I’m getting a pretty heavy pop-punk influence, of the likes of You Me At Six or All Time Low. I can certainly see where the influences of Green Day and The Arctic Monkeys come into this too, the latter being particularly present in some of the catchy, dancefloor filler, riffs. However, I’m not sure I’m really picking up on any of the claimed Rob Zombie influence. Yeah, there’s a little bit of an alt-electronic sound present at times, but I would say this is more akin to the style that 2000s pop-punk bands seem to be pursuing later in their careers.
The lyrical content is pretty much in line with what you would expect from this corner of the rock world. There are songs about girls, light takes on struggles with mental health and general coming-of-age struggles. Unfortunately, this doesn’t really do it for me anymore, there’s probably an argument that I’m too old to appreciate it, but I refuse to admit to being too old for anything.
That being said, I am finding it incredibly difficult to not get caught up in the music. Conway have been very successful in producing some infectiously catchy music here. Opening track ‘Missed Me’ captures those youthful summer vibes that takes me back to the heydey of bands like Bowling For Soup. There’s a strange tone to the vocals on this track, I can’t quite work out if there’s some autotune going on, or just a reverb effect on the vocals. It works, but it stands out in comparison to the rest of the album as this is the only track where this seems to have happened.
‘Suicide Party’ is another stupidly catchy song that takes a really upbeat approach to a pretty dark topic in a way that only pop-punk can. This is one of those songs where the electronic influence starts to come through, but it is very subtle and doesn’t make a huge impact on the overall sound.
So, if stupidly catchy pop-punk is your thing, which there’s bound to be plenty of you out there, then this is an album that you should consider getting on board with. There are certainly a few tracks here that would go down pretty well at an Uprawr club night or find their way onto Kerrang Radio. In fact, had Download festival been going ahead this year, I could see these going down well with an early slot on the third stage… but, maybe next year, eh?
- ‘Something Wicked’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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