If you were going to pick any band to rip off, why would it be The Early November?
Amber Pacific plays the ol' emotional pop-punk card like it wins a hand every time. Sure, they've got some nice (very) minor tempo changes, perfect singing harmonies, a deathly catchy lead single (possibly) in "Thoughts Before Me," and a front vocalist in Matt Young who tries a deeper key than most singers in the genre, but this is still one heck of a cardboard cutout of an album. Look at it this way â if this EP had come out on Drive-Thru, no one would be shocked.
I'll use the Scott Heisel argument to illustrate the point further: My twelve-year-old sister got in my car after school with this playing on my stereo and immediately stated, "FINALLY, you're listening to good music! Not like that other crapâ¦" "That other crap" was a reference to her last time in the car having to âendure' several tracks of The Lawrence Arms' Greatest Story Ever Told. Her other comment was "You know what this reminds me ofâ¦? New Found Glory."
It's almost funny how calculated this really is though. "Open wounds / broken hearts / please stay tonighhhht!" Are they serious? I'm sure Amber Pacific will blow up in nuclear proportions, but when it comes down to actual originality, execution, style, et al, this band is hopeless.
MP3
Always You