The debut album from Manchester’s Dear America is a solid, if by-the-numbers, take on the slower, more anthemic, sound of punk-rock. It doesn’t have any particular twist on the genre but it’s produced well and full of worthwhile hooks.
Where the band shines is in the vocal harmonies. There’s some really strong choruses that would fit well into any early-00s punk record. At times, there’s an uncanny similarity to Less Than Jakes’ double-act of Chris and Roger; warm and personable with a good range. However, this comes at the cost of being overly-reliant on tired “woah-oh’s”. ‘The Coast’ fills up the last of its four minutes with a slew of them. It comes across as killing time, rather than an uplifting breakdown. There are a few of these “stop me if you’ve heard this one before” moments across the album.
Elsewhere, the songs themselves typically run for the 3-4 minute time and follow much the same formula: bouncy intro with a good, high-pitched riff that gives way to the restrained verse before launching into the chorus harmonies. ‘Routines’ is the textbook example of this. ‘Common Bridges’ and ‘Backseat Smiles’ are two songs that kick up the tempo. On the former, Dear America launch straight into the vocals and cut the chaff. The latter follows the standard formula but with more energy. Though they won’t trouble the likes of early Black Flag, Bad Brains or The Exploited, they’re more fitting of the punk label.
On their Bandcamp, Dear America describes themselves as an indie punk band and it’s as good a title as you can get. This album is unlikely to start a circle pit. It’s more of a competent, foot-tapping crowd-pleaser. There’s really not that much more to say about it. If you’re familiar with mid-tempo, 3 minute punk, you know what you’re getting.
ASHLEY PARTRIDGE