Music Monday: Better Weather Album Review

Story posted February 27, 2017 in CommRadio, News by Allison Wulfhorst

If you’re a fan of pop punk and have not heard of Aussie pop-rocker’s With Confidence, you need to look them up right now. Well, maybe you can spare some time to read this review of their debut album, Better Weather, first. They created their own unique sound during a time where pop punk is thriving and they created music that stands out and holds its own with bands like State Champs and Neck Deep.

This record was released in June of 2016 and is one that if you missed out on, needs to be one you get into this year.

The album contains multiple allusions to weather through many of their lyrics with alludes to the title, Better Weather. Like in song “We’ll Be Okay,” “And I could be fire/And I could be rain,” “Long Night,” “Oh how it’s raining,” and in “Higher,” “I’ll be the sun.” It was a fun idea to put those kinds of lyrics in their songs to create a more cohesive album.

Better Weather is full of true, catchy, simple pop punk tunes like “Voldemort,” “Keeper,” “We’ll Be Okay,” and “Higher.”

“Voldemort” is the perfect choice for the song to introduce their music and allow listeners to understand their sound. “Keeper” is similar to “Voldemort” because it is not complex lyrically or instrumentally, but that is not bad at all.

Delving deeper, however, the album seems to increase in complexity as the album continues, which is something I can appreciate. Songs like “Archers” and “Gravity” hold ideas like not following the status quo and keeping away from normality. These kinds of songs describe the band since this is their debut and they are being introduced to their career and what they have been working so hard towards. When the album hits song six, the ideas of the songs change to that of heartbreak. “Keys,” “Long Night,” “Dinner Bell,” and “Waterfall” follow this theme.

“Archers” is my favorite song as it highlights choosing your own path and following your passions rather than doing what makes the most money or what everyone else wants you to do. The band knows what it is like to follow a path where no one seems to believe in you or in what you’re doing. Lyrics like, “We wanted more than a normal structure/So, live it out for the ones who told us/To lead a life that we never wanted,” portray this song perfectly.

“Gravity” takes this further by vocalist Jayden Seeley explaining that instead of following what his father did and was successful with, he wanted to forge his own path for himself. “Could’ve been a tradesman/I’d work a 6 till 3/Follow my father’s footsteps,” are lyrics that vividly shows what he has most likely been told to do his whole life.

Then the songs change gears to the theme of heartbreak, another concept that many people in their young adult lives can relate to. “Long Night” is the perfect song on Better Weather that describes exactly how heartbreak feels. The song is beautiful, the piano is lovely, and the previous song, “Keys,” is a successful transition into this one. The lyrics, “but now it’s just me and I lie awake and I toss and I turn and I see your face when I wake from a dream it won’t go away,” describes what it’s like to have someone on your mind and not being able to shake those memories, not even to fall asleep. It’s a real song that hits home.

“Waterfall” is the most unique song on this record. The lyrics are incredibly vivid and can be appreciated by those who truly value lyricism. However, the coolest part of the song is the ending. It ends with an automated voice saying, “You may now hang up to send your message,” and then the click of a phone turning off. Since “Waterfall” is the last song, the band is trying to get across that the whole album is representative of the thing they want to say to someone, but cannot. That’s such a powerful way to end this record and it shows With Confidence’s talent in creatively as well.

Better Weather is formatted surprisingly well for the band’s debut and it shows off that the boys have a lot of special music and talent to be offered to those who want to listen to it. This song is not only a perfect record for the summer, but any season and any weather.

Rating: 9/10

 

Allison Wulfhorst is a freshman majoring in journalism. To contact her, email her at akw5392@psu.edu.