Seaway

Hoser (2013)

RENALDO69

Pop-punk done right. Not often is that formula well executed. I'll vouch though that 2013 broke this trend with some kickass records. State Lines and Stickup Kid pop to mind. Now add Seaway to the list. Nothing flashy, nothing groundbreaking, but pure charisma and spunk. Hoser is definitely a catchy, poppy record with the right punk elements to warrant a few spins.

Dosing on their Bandcamp material, it's very obvious that their earlier stuff revolves around The Wonder Years and in fairness, a stiff binge on Bowling For Soup. That said, they pull it off pretty well and "Expectation" is the ideal opener to show this. Swift licks and punkish chords protrude at every corner on this album in the most simple, catch,y and yes, cheesy manner, but Seaway nails it every time. "What's Really Good" takes its toll on Adam Shoji's bass which is one of the biggest positives from the record, and one which will probably fly under the scope. His slapping style adds so much rhythm and melody.

Ryan Locke's vocals carry on impressively in their strained and grainy fashion, which propel more of the Bouncing Souls meets NFG vibe on Hoser. "Too Fast For Love" shows adaptability as they ramp the pace up to a much more full-on punk flow and then they temper things back to "Slowing Down," which aptly fits the title. It's a nice throwback to see Locke's cynical and immature lyrics pop up and in the latter, it gets a bit disgusting as his narrative expands on trying to get into a girl's pants. Juvenile? Definitely. Punk? Perhaps not. Good sound? Fuck yes.

You even get your endearing conjecture on "The Weight" which slowly panders to the poppiest and most generic of sounds but again, somehow Seaway manages to pull it off. Their cheesiness is very neatly stapled to the stigma of what pop-punk should sound like and it's a big reason why musically, Hoser is plain old in-your-face, take-it-or-leave-it fun. Not bad at all.