The amount of Facebook likes can be an extremely deceiving thing, particularly in the more underground music world. Grandview, a four-piece pop punk/emo band from Burlington, Massachusetts, had a mere 275 likes when I had first heard of them. I never once doubted their abilities, but I didn’t exactly have high expectations after creeping their social media sites. With that being said, as soon as I started listening to their material, I knew that I was going to thoroughly enjoy listening to their EP entitled Absolutely Nothing, which is set to release on December 28th via Meadowbrook Records.
Starting with my favourite aspect of the EP (the vocals), every note that the vocalist hits sounds excellent. The variety is another thing that really sets this EP above the majority of other pop punk EPs; the aggressive and soft/clean vocals are both used pretty evenly on Absolutely Nothing. The more aggressive vocals heard primarily on “Alabaster Skin” and the title track sound similar to Seaway and Citizen, but when Grandview slows things down on “Pillars” and “Recall, Recede”, they sound like a more pop punk-ish version of Seahaven.
While the vocals do kind of steal the show for me on Absolutely Nothing, there are several notable moments provided by the other band members. Most of the drumming is fairly upbeat and hard-hitting, but there are times where the drummer cools down a bit – most notably during the verse of “Pillars”. However, after a short break, the fast pace is regained with a drum roll that leads right into the chorus. The guitarists follow the same pattern, alternating between fast and slow riffs and melodies, and the bassist lays down some solid basslines.
All four tracks on Absolutely Nothing are impressive in one way or another, but there is one track that stands out more than the others. “Recall, Recede” opens with an excellent, peaceful intro that sounds similar to material off of Brand New’s Deja Entendu or The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me. As it goes along, it slowly picks up and finally culminates into an epic outro with harsh vocals. Every time it reaches the end, I find myself myself singing along “And in the end, it doesn’t even matter who you are, it just matters who I’m not”.
Going into my first full listen of Absolutely Nothing, I had pretty high expectations because of how amazed I was by the first single that was released, “Pillars”. I was pleasantly surprised with the overall product as it exceeded my expectations with flying colours. Grandview currently has less than 300 likes on Facebook, but I have a feeling that they’re going to at least double that total within a few days of the EP’s release – it’s just that good!
Links: Facebook
For Fans Of: Seahaven, Citizen, Seaway
