Two of my close friends up here are really - really - into A Day to Remember, and actually asked me to do this review. I'm not going to pretend to be the trvest motherfucker on the planet and say I don't like this band, but it was with no small amount of trepidation that I heard the acclaimed Florida pop-punk quintet was set to release their fifth studio album, Common Courtesy. The band's had a rough few years - we've had no new material since 2010's lukewarm What Separates Me From You, a band that somehow upped the melodrama as the band pushed themselves deep into pop-punk territory, parting from the metalcore roots that made the previous year's Homesick as amazing of an album as it was. My views on What Separates aside, the band's been through its fair share of endless touring that comes with newfound fame, and a grueling legal battle with Victory Records over the rights to self-release Common Courtesy, which only resolved themselves a few months ago.
The first single of the album, 'Violence', was actually released almost a year ago - and as a teaser, it was definitely indicative of what the record has in store. As with previous releases, Common Courtesy takes queues equally from pop-punk and metalcore, but upps the intensity (read: stereotypical accoutrements) of each - the breakdowns are that much tighter, and the lyrics are that much more about how much their hometown sucks.
It bears saying that I'm not the biggest fan of pop punk - I find the genre charming, but somehow even more melodramatic and juevenille than almost any other -core subgenre. That being said, "stay posi" is the name of the game here - every riff, chorus, and breakdown almost drips with youthful enthusiasm - including a beautifully strung-out 'Biiiiiiiiiitch' on 'Right Back at it Again'.
A Day to Remember have always been good at getting a crowd riled up - and in a genre where repetition is as endemic as breakdowns, that can sometimes be hard to accomplish. Never fear, that's not the case with Common Courtesy - with the exception of a few acoustic ballads to help you chill out, the album is, to quote Sum 41, all killer no filler.
I'm not going to say anything about the lyrics - but if you come to pop-punk looking for essays on the existence of God, you're going to come up dry. You have the requisite song about their hometown - 'City of Ocala', the requisite song about standing up for yourself - 'Sometimes You're the Hammer, Sometimes You're the Nail', and a quiet love ballad ('End of Me').
ADTR are clearly very proud of themselves, from the front cover that echoes Homesick, to an entire song about, literally, how proud they are ('Right Back at it Again'), to a nearly six minute sample of the band reminiscing at the tail end of the record. It's a little annoying, but the band's rapid rise to fame is definitely something to be proud of.
The best parts of Common Courtesy, ironically enough, are the parts where the band plays up the metalcore influence a little more than they previously have, which brings me to easily the best song on the record - 'Life Lessons Learned the Hard Way'. No cleans are in sight for this song, and there's even a gruff 'OOOH' at the beginning. 'Life Lessons' is home to the record's most well-written breakdowns (wow, did I just seriously write that), and, as the record's flagship 'heavy' song (Courtesy's '2nd Sucks'), it definitely succeeds what it sets out to do, even if it is criminally short.
Instrumentally, the band has also upped the ante - frontman Jeremy McKinnon's voice has never sounded better, although it remains to be seen if he can pull it off live. The drums are still beastly - kudos to Alex Shelnutt, and while the guitarwork leaves much to be desired, it's still got all the required pomp and might of a punk song or ten.
To conclude, Common Courtesy is a solid record. It's not mind-blowing or intellectually impressive, but it is fun as all hell, and if that's what you're looking for, you won't be disappointed.
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