Review: The Wonder Years – The Upsides

March 16th, 2010 by Oswald Hobbes / Comment on this post

Philadelphia pop-punk band The Wonder Years can sound a little generic at first listen -- it’s the same strain of super-melodic emo pounded out through the years by bands like Saves The Day, The Get Up Kids, and (on their good days) Fall Out Boy. Your initial reaction might include thoughts about solid production, great-but-samey songwriting, and slightly whiny vocals. Pretty much what you’d expect. But if you listen to the band’s new album The Upsides for a long time, at a high volume, new qualities begin to merge: riffs that switch melodic lines in interesting ways, epic gang vocals that propel pretty much every song to anthem status, and a pleasing bro-ish quality that suggests the guys in the Wonder Years are just nice, average dudes with an exceptionally honed rock attack.

I think it was the dozenth time I listened to “Logan Circle,” the disc’s second (and second-best) track, that the band’s magic really started to work on me: between lead singer Dan Campbell “drowning all [his] sorrows in Lucky Charms and soy milk” and the boisterous chant that explodes on the song’s climax, there’s a kind of haphazardly joyful attitude elevating the whole thing a few notches above the usual pop-punk racket. “Washington Square Park,” my personal favorite, kicks offs with the kind of strong, sharp riffs that used to make Hot Water Music go-to beer-run music in Third World Timmy‘s Dodge Intrepid circa 2001-2002. The vocals do get a little whiny, for my taste, at certain times, but it’s not something to worry about. There’s enough shouting and screaming to get you psyched.

With the overarching lyrical theme “most days are bad days,” the Wonder Years present a clear-eyed perspective on typical suburban tomfoolery. Nothing ever gets too heavy on The Upsides -- these are songs about stealing Christmas trees and getting an apartment with your girlfriend. But the melodies pack some big emotional punch, so be careful; this music might make you pretty nostalgic and misty-eyed if you’re over the age of twenty and you’ve been drinking red wine for a few hours. The Wonders Years’ music is best enjoyed on the open road, at just a few miles over the speed limit, with the breeze blowing your hair around. If they ever make a commercial for male-on-male emo bonding, this would be a great soundtrack.

All-in-all, I definitely recommend this band. They’ve got a great sense of humor and some serious songwriting skills, and The Upsides grows in power the more time and attention you give it. But it’s also great if you just want to blast it while drinking Old Style and playing Street Fighter 4 with your entourage. I’m glad I ignored my shamefully cynical first impressions and kept listening -- this is a solid entry in the pop-punk genre, with enough of a hardcore edge to make it pretty much classic.