!Attention!

!Attention! (2016)

Maximillian Power

Attention are a fast paced punk rock 5-piece from the Toronto area. Ontario has produced a lot of awesome punk bands over the years; Junior Battles, Wasted Potential, The Penske File, Jersey and Alexisonfire (I know, I know, punk rock, screamo, whatever, piss off), just to name a few. Attention may not exactly be the cream of the crop, but they are definitely worth a spin. This self-titled offering pleasantly surprised me; fans of gruff vocals take note.

Attention play a style of punk that mixes the speed of skate punk and the gruff vocals of bands like Hot Water Music and Leatherface. It is a nice combination, although some of the songs are a bit wordy in the vocal department, which detracts from catchiness that makes other songs memorable. Attention has done a good job of working in catchy harmonies between main vocalist and backing vocalist, the songs “When Good People Make Babies” and “Broseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dream Couch” are good examples of this. The gruff/sweet main vocals and the cleaner vocal of the guitarist mix together nicely and work to pull you into the melody. I miss the dual vocal dynamic in some of the other songs that lack the same harmony development.

This band is fun; it isn’t to be taken too seriously, which is a good vibe for a punk band to have. The LP features 15 songs, only one of which goes over the three-minute mark, which is just how I like it. The songs are catchy and make me want to comeback for more, as opposed to wondering if I should wait it out or skip to the next track. There are some songs that don’t quite measure up to the rest, but none stand out as awful, hell, a couple out of 15 ain’t bad.

If you want a fun and quick punk rock listen give Attention a shot, they may not be transcending musical genres or developing a new style, but they are good at what they do. I feel fans of FEST and beer cozies should take particular note.