Elway

For The Sake Of The Bit (2018)

RENALDO69

Elway are one of those bands I feel don't get the love they deserve. I've heard people, especially here at the Org, call them run-of-the-mill and by-the-numbers, but I just can't see it. I don't know if it's because 2015's Better Whenever was that good to me that I just can't disconnect from how awesome they sounded, but whatever. The point is, after that album, they truly felt like a band who finally found their sound, and with For The Sake Of The Bit now unfurling, they're clearly moving on… full steam ahead.

As expected, this record's packed with shoutalong anthems which fans of acts like Red City Radio and Success can flock to. In fact, they really remind me of another band that killed it this year, The Penske File, with their big hooks, bouncy melodic punk vibes and swelling choruses. "Hold On," "Selfish Masochistic Psychic Trauma" and "Paper Guitars" are prime examples of this, and more so, they're tracks that make me wish the album wasn't just eight songs long.

What I can also appreciate is there's a lot of the band's 'Colorado dad-rock' essence stuck in the mix, which I've loved when stacked up to bands like Spanish Love Songs, and yes, The Menzingers. "Crowded Conscience" and "Nobody Goes Into Meteorology For The Sunny Days" evoke this sense of mature rock, stylistically positioned to balance out the huff and puff of the other restless punk jams I mentioned. They temper the album oh-so well, but again, it's just not enough. You want more, you need more.

Ultimately, For The Sake Of The Bit is another rollicking set of bangers which don't surprise me at all. Elway have always been impressive, and this record more or less indicates they have no intentions of slowing down anytime soon.