The Wonder Years

The Wonder Years: Won't Be Pathetic Forever [7 inch]Won't Be Pathetic Forever [7 inch] (2008)
No Sleep Records

Reviewer Rating: 2

User Rating:

Contributed by: InaGreendaseBrian
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Published on June 10th 2008The Wonder Years are hardly my favorite new pop-punk band, but their new 7", Won't Be Pathetic Forever is way better than their abysmal full-length of last year, Get Stoked on It!. Musically, they actually sound decent, with the keyboard a little less overbearing. However, they really need to jus.

The Wonder Years are hardly my favorite new pop-punk band, but their new 7", Won't Be Pathetic Forever is way better than their abysmal full-length of last year, Get Stoked on It!.

Musically, they actually sound decent, with the keyboard a little less overbearing. However, they really need to just throw the thing out. It's not doing anything for the sound whatsoever. A good example would be the opening instrumental track, "Mike Kennedy Is a Bad Friend." There's pretty much no keyboard here, and as a result it's a perfect pop-punk intro.

Additionally, their vocalist is still usually pretty derivative of the Starting Line's Kenny Vasoli, notably in "Solo & Chewy: Holdin' It Down." He's less grating than on Stoked too, but there are moments where it could certainly elicit "eh"s at best (the title track, where a chorus would be punchier if the "And today!" repetition didn't sound like it was being phoned in by its third delivery).

I still don't know what to think about their lyrics, which I'd generously describe as "cheeky." You can have fun lyrics, but these dudes pack more annoying pop culture references into a song than Eminem circa 2000; kudos for the Clarity name-drop though, I guess.

For the first time hearing this band, the Wonder Years have moments on this 7" where I am honestly stoked. But they're incredibly brief, intermittent sections, ruined by a boring transition or nasally-hindered vocal note. Hopefully this 7"'s title bears some heavy foreshadowing.

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You're Not Sallinger. Get Over It.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

headabovewater (August 24, 2010)

why does everyone compare them to SYG and FYS? I see the commonalities, but these guys are in a whole different area, they had shades of SYG with some breakdowns on stoked, and they're lyrics are more straight forward then say the vocab used in FYS lyrics. I see TWY in a whole different area of pop punk. They call it 'realist pop-punk.'

LooseKanonYankee (July 13, 2008)

I border line hated this band, but
I just saw these guys live, and it was a total party
I picked this up, and it is WAY better than
the full length

Adlai_E_Stevenson (June 12, 2008)

I like the cover art.

ibitchslappedyourmama (June 11, 2008)

Bring back The Wunder Years

getstokedbrah (June 11, 2008)

not better than set your goals, but definately better than four year strong.
these dudes are fun.

wearestillalive (June 11, 2008)

i like this ep alot, and i like get stoked on it alot too. it's stupid and catchy and fun, and there's nothing wrong with that.
though set your goals are better.

punk_rawk_show (June 11, 2008)

much better than set your goals and four year strong

jeremyRVN (June 10, 2008)

this 7" is amazing and far superior to anything on "get stoked"

paulrulzdood (June 10, 2008)

I dig where these guys are coming from and what they're trying to do, but Set Your Goals and Four Year Strong do it better. These dudes are maybe more raw and sarcastic, but they're also more sloppy and kind of mediocre. I listened to "stoked on it" a few times and it just didn't click at all.

Paul

mattramone (June 10, 2008)

Dudley_Shale wishes this were a new Wunder Years seven inch.

I'm glad "stoked" has finally started making it casually into reviews.