Well to be honest I'm not a Story So Far fan and would not add their albums into a “Favorites” playlist, but I can tell you that No Pressure is Parker's new music project and it just put out a banger tune this year. As has previously been told, No Pressure is a new musical project led by several members from bands such as Story So Far, Light Years, and Regulate. So it seems like the band put the priority as "No Pressure" as the band's name explained (I assume).
I am a fan of many melodic hardcore subgenres, including this one, which incorporates emotive sounds. To date, many say bands like Lifetime or Kid Dynamite have played a big part in the subgenre and my opinion, No Pressure just emulated the sound perfectly on this LP.
No Pressure's debut LP is an example of old school, emotive, and melodic hardcore blended together perfectly to introduce new listeners to the subgenre. I love how the band is on point with their music. So many straight guitar chords and blasting drum sounds decorate the sounds of this album.
The album starts with “Lock It Up.” The song starts with a blasted, typical melodic hardcore drum pattern with a straight guitar chord and a fast tempo. I love how Parker's voice adapts to this typical kind of sound. And the most powerful part of this song would be its chorus, which is mid-tempo part and defined by Parker's melodious vocals and the keyboard sounds that add sugarcoated harmony to the chorus.
Next is a track entitled “Big Man,” which begins with a full blast of Pat's lead guitar. I love how clean it sounds in the intro. It's a track that will blast everyone on and off the stage and I would imagine that this song is a fit to put as the second song of a live setlist. Parker's powerful voice also contributes to its energy. “Sour,” is a straight punching track that'll blast the moshpit into a scattered 2-step zone. It seems like the songwriting process gets straight to the point, without further polish. Of course, all of these could be done with no pressure, just like the band's name. I like how the palm muting guitar session ends this song, which kind of reminds me of the song structures of more old school bands like CIV or Shelter.”One Way Trip” is one of the midtempo songs from the album, and I can say the band has also made a good execution with its midtempo material. This song has a great verse part and I think what makes the verse itself sound so good is Parker’s fast-paced vocals, which are match his vocal tone.
As told by the band, the cover is inspired by Less Than Jake album artwork -- maybe it's some kind of tribute to what has been an influence for the band. Yes, the font and the artwork are ‘90s orgcore all the way! Overall this is a good album but if there is one criticism, it's the guitar tone. Yes, I would expect a clearer guitar tone for the next stuff, but don't get me wrong as the whole sound engineer is awesome. To be honest, it's too goddamn boring to hear melodic hardcore with a huge modern sound. This self-titled sounds rawer if you would compare it to other emotive melodic hardcore band sounds today.
The LP is out on Triple-B which has surprised me a bit lately. I just discovered that the label also signed and released some more melodious bands like Koyo and New Found Glory. It's probably all about the label expanding its sound?! Who knows! No Pressure is available on vinyl on Triple B and CD by its Asian distributor, Ice Grill$
