Blaming You

Welcome To Life (2018)

Maximillian Power

Blaming You are a new punk rock band hailing from California’s Bay Area. The band features past members of First To Leave and Until Your Heart Stops and continues their sound in similar punk rock fashion. The band embodies the California sound of Face To Face and Good Riddance with a touch of more contemporary California acts the likes of This Time Next Year and Set Your Goals.

Welcome To Life is a 5 song EP that emphasizes catchy guitar leads and hook driven vocals. The songs clock in at an appropriate length and the EP flows smoothly from one track to the next. For a debut record it seems obvious that these musicians have played together previously. The band’s sound feels comfortable; they lack the awkward aspect that some new bands fumble with on their first release. The tracks are concise and focused, not much filler to be found here.

The single complaint I have, and it is far from a deal breaker, I find the vocals to be a bit over powering in the mix at times. This is a production complaint more so than a song writing complaint, and while the production value of Welcome To Life is far from poor, in the future with a slicker finished product Blaming You will stack up with the majority of their west coast punk rock peers. Blaming You feel like a fresh take on an old favorite, check it out! FFO: older Face To Face, Give You Nothing, Good Riddance and Set Your Goals.