Hailing from Silver Spring, Maryland, A Place In Time is a band that I’ve been following for quite some time. Their first EP which is entitled Not For Nothing was one of the first pop punk releases that I liked and listened to a lot. At the time of its release, I was just starting to get into pop punk and I felt like it connected the bridge from metalcore and post-hardcore to pop punk very well – similar to how A Day To Remember does. The band’s newest release, Transitions, is a much more mature release, but it still has the ability to appeal to fans of “core” that have yet to venture into the pop punk side of things.
After an intro of nothing but drumming that makes me feel like I’m somewhere in Africa, Transitions kicks off with some solid guitar leads. “The Mindset” is a short intro track (1:33), but it gives you a taste of things to come on A Place In Time’s Transitions. The next track, “Don’t Get Your Feelings Hurt”, is another excellent pop punk song with pounding drums, solid riffs, catchy clean vocals, and the occasional scream/shout. Additionally, the bass on “Don’t Get Your Feelings Hurt” is very audible and groovy, especially near the end of the track.
The third track, the previously released “Dreamcatcher”, opens with an incredibly catchy riff, followed by more groovy basslines and catchy vocals. “Dreamcatcher” as a whole is very good, but A Place In Time takes it to the next level with an epic buildup into the final verse around the 2:45 mark. The track comes to a strong close with the gang chanted lyrics “How are we the scum of the Earth when all we wanted was some dedication?” Following “Dreamcatcher” is one of the strongest tracks, “Three Or Four Words”. The range in vocals on this track is superb and the guitar riffs are spectacular. Also, the little acoustic bridge sends chills up and down my spine every time I hear it. “Three Or Four Words” may seem like a shoe-in for the best song on the EP, but that title belongs to the title track, “Transitions”. After a spectacular intro, “Transitions” continues to impress. Because of its happy vibe, catchy vocals, excellent lyrics, and very strong instrumentals, it’s my favourite track.
After listening to Transitions several times, I didn’t pick up on many flaws. The only thing that really jumped out to me was the weak breakdowns on a few tracks (the end of “Don’t Get Your Feelings Hurt” and the middle of “Dreamcatcher”). A Place In Time is one of the few pop punk bands that I really like that has that “easycore” vibe, but the breakdowns just didn’t work as well on this release as they did on prior releases.
Minor flaws aside, A Place In Time has really grown as a band, and with the release of their third EP, put out their best work to date. If you’ve not yet listened to them, you will probably be able to relate to the closing line of the album extremely well (“All good things come to a bittersweet end…”) after your first playthrough of Transitions. You’ll have a bitter taste in your mouth from regret caused by not listening to A Place In Time before, but you’ll also be tasting something sweet because their new EP is 16 minutes of extremely fun and catchy pop punk that’s nearly impossible not to like.
Links: Facebook – Bandcamp
