Alternative Ithaca musician Harry Nichols released a new solo EP, A Spoonful of Sugar, on September 4. Nichols has been influenced by various styles–beachy, punk-pop, folk, indie, and rock, to name a few–but this EP has its roots in electro-pop.
Harry Nichols started writing music at fourteen. He has been releasing music as an independent artist since 2010, and has several albums and EPs out on Bandcamp, which draw inspiration from Blink 182, The Beach Boys, and Bob Dylan. He has made a name for himself in Ithaca’s concert scene, and has been playing live for years. Many of his concert videos are on the Finger Lakes Music Press YouTube channel.
Since his last nerd-life inspired record This Isn’t the Album you’re Looking For…,Nichols focused on contributing to his bands Noon Fifteen and Julia Felice and the Whiskey Crisis. He released a few demos and solo EPs since, but this September, Nichols finally releases his latest solo EP. Nichols considers this easy listening track, A Spoonful of Sugar, his first major release in six years.
ASoS was written and recorded entirely during the COVID-19 quarantine. The track is much poppier than Nichols’ other work, and the razor sharp melodies match the emotions behind the lyrics. Nichols takes pop punk and soul and blends them into synth and digital drums, as those were the tools he could work with by himself during quarantine.
Although the lyrics are a reflection on the loneliness of social distancing, the music is upbeat and energetic. Nichols lets the listener momentarily escape from the current sadness and stress and live in this poppy world he makes with A Spoonful of Sugar. ASoS is available for purchase on Bandcamp now.
COVID got you down? Having some relationship troubles? Or maybe there’s a hankering for some good ol’ 2010 nostalgia? Take a listen to State Champs new album Unplugged and let it all out, in a true pop punk fashion. This collection was released to celebrate 10 years since the bands’ start in Albany. In their press release, they declare their change of pace as a “healthy growth spurt,” that will “set the table for the next ten years of their career.” They definitely have grown since their start a decade ago, but it’s arguable that they may have just aged out their genre, rather than growing into a new one.
This six-track album, with four original songs in their newfound acoustic sound, also features two covers of their highest rated songs, transposed into their new style. What’s fascinating is they’re able to keep that drive going in such a ‘low lit’ environment. This is their saving grace because, on its face, this album might not sound so appealing. How can you have a chill version of pop punk music about how your hometown sucks and you hate your ex-girlfriend? Well this is one way to do it. This feels highly multi-layered throughout. It’s not just a softer version of the songs you like, some are reimagined in creative ways.
“A Thousand Hearts” really sets the scene as to how laid back they’ve become. It has decent drive and motivation, but it’s not at all parallel to their original work, with one of the only similarities being Derek DiScanio’s voice and lyrical theme. That’s fine and all, being that the band wants to move in a new direction. It might be a bit of a shock to long time listeners, as will the smooth as butter saxophone solos. “The Recipe” falls into the similarly romantic space, but presents a better sense of direction and drive, as well as more relatable lyrics about how relationships don’t need to follow a ‘recipe.’
“10 am” has a very unique, self proclaimed EDM sound, mixed with well produced, natural sounds. It’s got a catchy hook to it, but again, not the most revolutionary word-smithing going on in this one. Musically though, this is very well executed. Fun fact: the song was birthed by Evan Ambrosio, who was messing around with an automated drum loop, and ran with the idea, creating a song with a synthetic drum loop that has a natural sound to them. Most of the song sounds completely acoustic and man-made, but fades out with the drum beat, which slowly morphs into a more computerized, 8-bit sound – a fun nod to the muse of the song.
“Crying Out Loud” is the best original on the album. The hook is super catchy, the energy created both lyrically and musically is moving and it should resonate well among Champ fans. This could easily be transposed into their original style perfectly, but again, that’s not their vision.
“Criminal” is the first acoustic version of an original song and it feels more natural compared to the first four tracks on the album. They’ve thrown in a very poppy, bluegrass feel to it, which takes some getting used to but it’s still a fun song if you’re a fan of the original.
“Dead and Gone” is the perfect song to cover. The lyrics are edgy enough to give it the drive it needs and the music follows to help propel it even further. It’s not too busy, or trying to be something other than what it is. The most extreme change is a twangy guitar that pops in and out of the song. The double time effect that we hear during the verses, (that feeling of the music getting faster) comes through perfectly in this too – a cornerstone of pop punk music.
Pop punk is a culmination of a lot of music, so the logic should be sound – why not just add another genre in there, and we should sound different. But pop punk is already so many things: Emotional, energetic, silly, dramatic, loud. There aren’t many genres that can say they have all of those things and still be palatable to the masses. It’s also quite the challenge to change a group’s entire attitude, let alone pulling from another genre of music. This is a definitely a sensible direction to go for State Champs, as the pop punk area of music may start to trail off soon, if it already hasn’t. But if State Champs find that golden ratio, as they did in their “Dead and Gone” cover and “Crying Out Loud,” then they themselves will be golden and “set the table for the next ten years of their career.”
Philadelphia band Goalkeeper have come through with “Happy,” an upbeat pop punk banger of a track just in time for the dog days of summer.
Full of crunchy power chords, and catchy melodies, “Happy” is the bands first release off of their upcoming EP Life in Slow Motion which will be released this upcoming September 25th on the Lost Music Collective independent label. “Happy” encapsulates everything Goalkeeper have been about thus far; writing nostalgic-flavored pop punk songs from the early 2000s coupled with roaring vocals and hefty breakdowns.
Goalkeeper have proven themselves to be a group who is constantly seeking out new sounds in an effort to push the genre they operate in to the next level. Opening for bands such as State Champs and Real Friends, Goalkeeper are determined to leave their mark on the east coast pop punk scene.
Long Island based pop-punk band, Card Reader, released their newest single, “Sore Eyes,” in honor of the loss of a close friend to lead vocalist Tom Petito.
(From left to right) Guitarist Marc Lambert. guitarist/vocalist Tom Petito and drummer Rob Cigliano.
“I wrote this song after I lost a close friend. The message is resounding: life is short, any day could be your last so don’t settle for less. Go after your dreams unapologetically,” said Petito.
Card Reader made their first appearance to the music scene earlier this year with their debut single and music video, “Familiar Voices.”
Petito, drummer Rob Cigliano and guitarist Marc Lambert worked with other bands for 10 years until Petito wanted to start his own project and formed the trio. Petito said the creation of the band was to put passion at the forefront.
Card Reader has struggled since live music has been put on halt, but are determined to get their EP released by fall.
The band’s motto states, “believe in yourself unapologetically. Don’t settle for anything less than what makes you happy in life and in music. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and put your own stamp on what being in a band means.”
