For over 20 years Hopeless Records have been churning out pop punk band after pop punk band, designed to be poster boys and girls of the alternative scene. Some have gone on to achieve great things – establishing themselves and the label. However, many have taken a transparent nosedive. It’s now hard not to be called out as a carbon copy of *insert another Hopeless signee here* and have to prove your authenticity in an overcrowded genre.
The hit and miss reputation of Hopeless Records is certainly a storm looming over With Confidence’s debut album ‘Better Weather’, but it’s quite clear from punchy opener ‘Voldemort’ that the band mean business. Their back to basics, throwback to naughties pop punk approach is similar to early All Time Low and by no means can they claim complete originality, but it’s refreshing to see the four piece from Sydney, Australia not make any compromises.
With waves of toned down melody and outbursts of acoustic balladry on songs like ‘Long Night’, it gives them a unique selling point that sets them apart. ‘Higher’ and ‘Dinner Bell’ have dashes of Yellowcard influence and lead single ‘We’ll Be Okay’ is the stand out track by far. A banger of a chorus with some serious high-pitched notes from vocalist Jayden Seeley results in a perfect combo.
Putting an album together that is full of singalongs to remember, with inoffensive guitar parts, ‘Better Weather’ could no doubt help the band ride on State Champs and even 5 Seconds of Summer’s popularity. Songs like ‘Archers’ fit that target audience perfectly.
A large part of ‘Better Weather’ is pop punk by numbers. Decent vocalist, generic hooks and riffs with some pretty haircuts, but that doesn’t stop it from being a bloody fun record that anybody could enjoy. This album is definitely an ideal stepping stone for With Confidence who are bound to have a bright future with barely a rain-cloud in sight.
LOUIS KERRY