Bitter Kids: Monster House (Review)

Canada today with 5 piece Post-Hardcore band Bitter Kids. Monster House is the first song off their forthcoming EP with the same name, that's due for release next month.

This is their song Monster House.
Can you love a song before you've even heard the first lyric? Yep, or at lest I can with this song. If I made a list of everything I think you need to make a great song I could trick every one off listening to Monster House. The guitars that start the song start slow but build into something more powerful with a piano in the background with adds a depth to song. The vocals when they come in are strong and clear, they've also got good emotion and feeling behind them. Adding to the verity of the song there's also some unclean vocals, which in themselves were great. They don't overpower the clean vocals as that can happen so easily but work along side them. Probably my favourite thing about this song (Though it is hard to pick one) are the lyrics, they paint such a vivid picture of this Monster House, of this life. "Maybe I'm not build to last in a scary place like this. The walls are thin, the oxygen is thick with fear from the furnace" And to put it simply I'm just absolutely in love with them as they convey everything I want, that emotion and feeling of almost hopelessness as you're stuck in this pace. Instrumentally it's highly well produced and with the changing tempo I get such a feel for the song.
I honestly can't fault Monster House in the slightest, in fact if I could compare them to another band I'd have to say Sleeping With Sirens, (old style SWS from their album Let's Cheer To This) they've got the same mix of vocal style but I'd say Bitter Kids out do Sleeping With Sirens on the lyric front.
Bitter Kids are a band I mark for going far in the future, so keep your eye out of them!

Listen to Monster House here

Check out Bitter Kids Facebook here

The Second Trip: Last Year (Review)

First review of the year and I'm with the relatively new band The Second Trip. Gears started turning for the band in late 2012 before becoming a full band in 2013. Later that year they released their first 8 track EP before following it up with a 14 track album! They're a 4 piece Alt-Rock band from Wolverhampton.

This is their album Last Year.
Listening to it altogether it's a good album, all very classic Rock, Punk songs,  it's well produced with some great catchy songs.
Below The Bridge being the first of the stand out tracks It has really good lyrics, though they do get a bit repetitive towards the end. Starting slow with an acoustic before speeding up so I'm tapping my fingers, my foot always something to the beat, as it is one of catchy songs.
Start The Car was the first single from Last Year and I can see why. It's fast, catchy and it's the first time I'm singing along. Blink 182 is an obvious influence, there's a pick of punk in the rock that sounds like young Blink.
Pocket ft Demi Parkes is my favourite song off the album. Starting slowly and acoustic with just Demi's voice it's something different and almost beautiful, in the middle it's speeded up with an electrical guitar and just Zac's vocals before slowing back into him and Demi's. Lyrics are obviously important to this band, as already they is meaning behind them and they tell stories. Were many times starting out stay away from that at first The Second Trip drove right in, and for them it works.
I love the guitar riffs in Evergreen, they're the fastest, well executed and very well produced. In fact the only issue I have with the song, (this actually stands for a few other songs I haven't mentioned such as Last Year, Hey)  is Zac's vocals, it's not that he can't sing it's more lack of range. He can sound the same from one song to the next, I just want to hear some verity, some power.
Better Times surprised me, there's more power to it and I could definitely see it being a single. The guitar solo was brilliant and with the piano just before the chorus makes it one of the best songs on the album.
Just Like You is again surprising it's one of the only all acoustic song on the album. A change of pace is always good on an album, otherwise an album can get repetitive. The lyrics to Just Like You are some of my favourite on the album, "My body feels like it's about to break, and I don't know what I'm spouse to do"
The Second Trip (Song) In an interlude, just a minute and half of guitar,drum and bass. It's a good piece of music, these guys show talent and this only being their second big release I can see them going far.
Wasting Time doesn't leave much of an impression on me, I'm not drawn into the song and find myself getting distracted rather than listening to the whole song. It's a bad song as such, what I said before about it being well produced and musically good still stands it's just I don't think this song quite fits together.
In My Head does actually get into my head and I find myself singing it later in the day as lyrically it's one of the best. There's more emotion in this song than the previous songs, and it's something that works for The Second Trip so maybe it's something they'll continue in the future.
Open My Eyes is in the style of Taking Hayley's Crying Eyes, Stakeout's The Outcome Of Saying Goodbye and A Day To Remember's If It Mean's A Lot To You. In the way it's start's slow and acoustic and crashing into all electric and drums at the end. It's actually one of my favourite styles of song it has both beauty and power. Open My Eyes comes as a nice breath of fresh air, it has the emotion of In My Head plus the power of Evergreen. It's a great song, the lyrics again brilliant and really mean something.I'd say this is the most stand out track on Last Year. 
More Than Just Friends is a quick catchy song that I can imagine being played live and having a whole crowd jumping to it. It's one of those songs that can get you on your feet. I feel Zac's vocals has improved in the last few songs, especially in this song as there's a better rage.
Everything's Gonna Be Okay, country was the first thing I thought when I heard this song for the first time. It's quite relaxed, something you could happily clap your hands along to, the lyrics tell a story and reassure us that's everything going to be okay. It's just a nice, simple song to end the album.

All together Last Year is a good album, especially for such a young band. It has some great stand out tracks and shows a lot of potential. If you like Blink 182 I'd definitely advise giving these guys a listen, it's worth it.

Listen to Last Year here

Check out The Second Trip on Facebook here