Tonight Alive - What Are You So Scare Of?
Posted Feb 10, 2012.
Featured Artists: Tonight Alive; Genre: Punk; Rock;
What Are You So Scare Of?
A review of the album from Tonight Alive
by
Joe Juliano
As a journalist, sometimes you get really excited about new albums and other times,
something comes across your desk you just aren’t quite sure what to expect. Today
that album is Tonight Alive - “What Are You So Scared Of?”
I’m not sure why I was scared to play the album but about 10 seconds in, I knew it was
a good choice.
Tonight Alive is a punk rock, alternative pop band that blast onto your speakers from
Sydney Australia. Instantly I drew comparisons to bands such as Hey Monday and
Paramore. Of course none of those bands are from Australia but they were the first
bands I thought of. As the album progresses other bands such as Jimmy Eat World,
Sum-41, and Blink-182 come to mind. Coincidentally, Mark Hoppus (Blink-182) guests
on “Thank You & Goodnight”.
It’s been a long time since a debut album has rocked this good from start to finish but it
truly shows.
After “Eject, Eject, Eject!” - the first track which is a musical interlude to get you ready
for what you’re about to hear - comes the soon-to-be-famous track two: “Breaking &
Entering”. BOOM! This song comes out like a cannon. Kids will be driving with the
windows down and system up rocking this song in the not-to-distant-future. If you don’t
catch yourself doing the air guitar or drums, then you’re musically challenged and you
should consult your doctor to see if your ears are hearing properly .
The band isn’t a one hit wonder either. As the album progresses from track to track,
they continue to spew out hit after hit. “Let It Land” stands out on the album for being
different. It’s got a different feel and vibe. It’s not as pop punk, but it is. Hard to
explain, I know but it’s still a good song. It’s a bit more laid back and mellow punk song.
It’s got a slight lullaby feel to it but don’t mistake that for a track that will put you to sleep
because no such track on the album will do that.
Tracks like “Starlight”, “Fake It”, “Thank You & Goodnight”, “Breaking & Entering”
and “Sure As Hell” emit so much passion and energy there’s no reason one can’t fall in
love with Jenna McDougall (vocals) and the rest of Tonight Alive.
The band started with Whakaio Taahi and Cameron Adler on guitar and bass
respectively. Once Jenna McDougall began singing their lyrics, the band took off. Soon
after, Jake Hardy (rhythm guitar) and Matt Best (drums) joined the trio. They started
off with local shows in Sydney and recorded two EP’s (All Shapes And Disguises and
Consider This).
Before long, Tonight Alive got in the hands of legendary music producer Mark Trombino
- who’s worked with some of music’s biggest acts such as Blink-182 , Jimmy Eat
World, and The Starting Line. Mark took them under his wing for what has become
Tonight Alive’s first full length album - “What Are You So Scared Of?”. The album is
pure electricity that can only come from a truly, naturally, talented group of individuals.
The bands music is honest - no beats, loops, or alterations to “cheat” and make
them “better”. This album comes from extremely hard work and one would only imagine
how much blood, sweat, and tears went into recording an album as amaz-balls as this.
It won’t take long before Tonight Alive is on every radio station across the nation
so if you want to impress your friends, you should get on the train right now. The
album comes out February 14, 2012 (Valentine’s Day for those who forgot) so if your
sweetheart’s a punk rock chick or you’re just a music lover in general - then make sure
you go out and get this album to support great punk music. Otherwise you’ll be asking
yourself “What Are You So Scared Of?”
www.tonightaliveofficial.com
