Hailing from Atlanta, Look Alive have unveiled their debut EP ‘Mistakes and Milestones’, which is released under the independent label Autumn + Colour, a label which admirably donate 10% of all profits to charity. Their E.P shows the comfort zone of their sound is Pop Punk, comparable to bands like The Wonder Years.
The record starts with ‘Transitions’, which builds the listener’s attention with chord progression, echoing vocals and lightly trodden drums. The intro swiftly leads into guitar feedback fading for the impact of ‘Anchored’ which is gripping from the beginning, including shouting vocals, thumping beats and fast guitar riffs.
‘Sink or Swim’ furthers listeners into the musical fusion accompanied by softer riffs and lyrical content in the theme of the title, for example “Keeping your head above the water” and “Do you think you can stay afloat?” It may approach the listeners’ mind that the band are touching upon cliché topics but that should not be the case as they have created a collection of songs where the listener will want to nod and tap along whether they know they are doing it or not.
‘The Way I See It’ is another great track with instant appear with catchy chanting that may intrigue the listener with this party song. A lot of these songs can relate to teenage years and most relationships that people encounter. ‘Farewell’ is a strong addition to the EP; the band potentially could be “Going somewhere fast”. Showing that Pop Punk is going somewhere whether you like it or not. They excellently portray the raw frustration with their voices throughout, particularly while describing the process of moving on and gripping onto any clarity they see.
In ‘Inquisition’ they show their dedication to their town and how it is unimpeachable, with extremely memorable words they sing “This town means everything to me, so I won’t go down easily” this is undoubtedly one of the best tracks included. ‘Over Under’ concludes the record, which is well placed, “This place will miss me when I’m gone”. This track pulls off the atmosphere of coming to an end after a bumpy ride.
‘Mistakes and Milestones’is a heart on sleeve, honest record which has been well written and well produced. The members of Look Alive have over ten years experience in the music industry and this shows in the quality of their efforts. The only question mark is whether Look Alive may have missed a trick of showing that they could experimented a bit more away from their core pop punk sound, potentially reaching a wider scope of followers. Let’s hope they are leaving that to surprise the listeners in a possible future album.
For Fans Of: The Wonder Years, Man Overboard, The Story So Far
