Hear the Sirens

Bridging the melody and fun of pop-punk with the power and urgency of hardcore has been a recipe for success for many bands over the past 15 years. From godfathers of the style, Lifetime, to mainstream rock stars like New Found Glory and even to newer bands like Crime in Stereo and Polar Bear Club, few hybrid styles have held together and stayed consistently popular. While other stylistic collisions have come and gone -- the ska/punk mixture comes to mind -- this one has managed to stick around and remain relevant.

Perhaps its success can be attributed to its lack of conventions. Usually when mashing two genres together, artists must stick to the rules of both, ultimately leading to less room for creativity. However, when pop-punk and hardcore converge there seems to be a lessening of rules; acceptable arrangements run the gamut, acceptable singing styles are wide and as long as it rocks and has hooks it is fair game.

This brings us to Hear the Sirens. Following in the footsteps of their hybrid forefathers but still maintaining a distinct sound, this 7” effortlessly toes the line of hardcore and pop-punk doing exactly what these types of bands should do. The songs are full of hooks but stay away from predictability, mixing it up with a variety of beats, instrumental breaks and heartfelt lyrics.

Opener “Take a Bow” starts with a great hardcore introduction asking, “The tide is turning; you’re here today, what about tomorrow?” before ultimately turning into a high-energy sing-along complete with nicely placed "whoa"s and group vocals. The next two songs continue the success of the first with tons of hooks and even a touch of Dillinger Four on the verses of “Don’t Threaten Me with a Good Time.” I also dig the production, which is clear but not overly polished.

The last track, “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet,” however, is a bit of a disappointment. With bands like this, it will usually be the vocals that make the listener a fan or not. While I like the lead singer’s open shouty voice, it just does not work well on this acoustic track. Tom Gabel can scream his way through his acoustic songs, but few others can make this work. Ultimately, I wish the vocals had been toned down a bit and the song shortened, which would give its strong chorus and lyrics more impact.

Right now this band is flying under the radar, but if this 7” is any indication of the full-length they will be releasing soon, I think they’ll be turning heads all over the place. Fans of pop-punk, hardcore, and ‘Orgcore should do themselves a favor and check this band out.