"Pinkshift - Love Me Forever" Best New Act?

 

    Let me preface this review by saying I've already actually listened to it before, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I remember discovering Pinkshift because they were touring with Sweet Pill and Origami Angel, one a pop-punk outfit I had remember being posted about back when they had nothing more than an EP out, and the other an emo band I had also recently discovered thanks to a music account I followed. Needless to say, I was looking for new music, and this seemed to check off all the boxes I was looking for. An up and coming band that wasn't just comprised of the same straight white dudes from the suburbs? I knew I had to check them out, and I wasn't disappointed. So when my friend CJ officially recommended this album to myself and others , I was excited to finally give this album a formal track-by-track review, and here it is.

Love Me Forever - Pinkshift

i'm not crying you're crying - 85/100 I usually like to bash songs off of albums that I review for having lyrics I can't take seriously, but I think delivery is what makes me not have that reaction with this song. I mean of course I'm biased because pop-punk is my favourite genre, and even if this is only pop-punk adjacent I must admit this itches my hunger for music in this vein, while also not having the same semi-nasally male vocalist that can become a bit tiring at times.

nothing (in my head) - 90/100 On one hand I feel like I should be talking more about the songs themselves but it's not like I feel as if they're truly exceptional in one facet or another, but the truth is I just think their songs are incredibly catchy. From the guitar solo's to the choruses, to the angst, it's all the perfect blend to remind me that while the scene's heyday might be behind it, I don't need to constantly be looking back to enjoy it.

GET OUT - 80/100 Probably the weakest song so far but we're only about three songs in and it's mostly because the song is so short. Luckily the song still goes pretty hard and I'd imagine it'd sound much better yelled at a concert rather than simply yelled into my ears, especially the chorus.

cherry (we're all gonna die) - 87/100 Pinkshift's singer really has this rage in every song that is so consistent it really helps with the lyrics which are almost so simple and short otherwise. It almost reminds me of early The Story So Far where the albums were just Parker half singing/half yelling into a microphone about how a girl dumped him but in this case it doesn't become borderline sexist.

the kids aren't alright - 90/100 Look I've seen a lot of pop-punk bands, whether they be modern (Meet Me @ The Altar) or old (Green Day) and most of the time their "rage songs" filled with self loathing fall flat because the actual music behind the lyrics just doesn't match what they're going for. Whether it's whatever Green Day was going for in Father of All or how T.M.I by Meet Me @ The Altar sounds like a 5 Seconds of Summer track with lyrics about how she really "hates herself". I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that kind of music, but it's nice to hear Pinkshift who actually sound angry, and have the instrumentation to reflect that.

Trust Fall - 70/100 I know it sounds really reductive, but sadly I just think this song doesn't go as hard. I mean the song's not bad, the guitar solo is decent, but in my eyes the first half of this album is just a lot stronger than pretty much whatever else is going to come from the second half. I think part of it is the chorus/singing, it's trying to be slightly softer because of the sort of begging tone of the lyrics but I don't think it really works.

in a breath - 50/100 Like I said previously, I just feel as if the aggression that comes from the singing is what masks what are quite simple lyrics. I'm usually a sucker for ballads, and I think this song just sounds too plain, nothing really stands out to me it feels pretty basic. Whether it be the voice or the piano, none of the strong emotion that one should feel when hearing a ballad is present here. I mean the stripped back/acoustic songs on a pop-punk album are pretty standard, and oftentimes people come to see these bands just for that one song, just look at Neck Deep and December or The Story So Far and Clairvoyant, sadly that is not the case for Pinkshift.

Cinderella - 60/100 Look, I understand switching up the style or the pace of the songs, to stop people from claiming the album is too samey, or too formulaic, but in this case every new experiment from Pinkshift just pales in comparison to their best. I mean a lot of albums tend to start off strong and falter off in the second half, so this is nothing new, but it is something I've noticed in this second album.

BURN THE WITCH - 83/100 This song is pretty much what I felt like GET OUT could have been. If it was just longer it'd have room to fit parts that were catchier, and it'd also have the shouty lines that I'm sure are great at concerts. This is indeed one of the bright spots in this album as Pinkshift manage to lure back in the listener, reminding them that the first half wasn't just a fluke, they still have enough juice left in them for a whole album.

Love Me Forever - 65/100 It's not that it fell off, it's just that I enjoyed the first half of this album so much more than the second one that it becomes difficult to stay captivated when you just kind of want to go back to listening to the first half. I think it's the chorus, like the instrumentation sounds completely fine, it's just that the catchiness isn't up to the standard of the first half. At least Pinkshift is keeping the guitar solo alive, I will respect them for that.

let me drown - 45/100 At first you think "we are so fucking back" but sadly that is not the case. The song doesn't really find it's footing in the two minutes it's around and you'll go check on something hoping the song gets better but it doesn't.

Dreamer - 55/100 Yeah I wouldn't say that this album ends on the strongest note. It might start off running but it seems as if Pinkshift start to stumble the longer it goes on as they try and show off a little bit. Even as they try and go back to what made them good one has to wonder if they purposely put all their best tracks at the front to make sure people stick it through for the less stellar material.

Final Score: 75/100

    I'll say this about Pinkshift, when they hit they hit. I'll say this though, this is quite a formidable debut, and in the first half they really showed why they should be one of the bands you keep an eye out for as they continue to mature. I'm not calling them a one-trick pony, it's just clear to me that all of the songs by them that I really love are the ones where the aggression is at the forefront and you can really feel the rage. There is certainly a noticeable drop-off in quality in the second half though, and I can't say I particularly enjoyed any song other than BURN THE WATCH. All, in all the scores at about where I expected it to be. I still bump Pinkshift because of when their songs hit, it's hard to find any songs that hit as hard while also still being just as catchy, but when they're not doing their bread and butter they can leave a lot to be desired.