I’m not biased. Not really. I just don’t like it. It, being pop-punk.
I’m just young enough that the initial wave of melodic, palm-muted, nasal voiced rock revival passed by while I was listening to Hannah Montana on my parent’s five disk stereo. However, I’m just old enough that I don’t find the modern-day nostalgic rehash all that impressive.
There are exceptions, of course; Meet Me @ The Altar being the main one. Generally speaking, though, I’m not a fan. I’m not penning hate mail to Waterparks or anything quite so nefarious; I just avoid the genre when I can. I change the radio station. I don’t click on Warped Tour YouTube videos. I steer clear of Travis Barker collaborations.
So, then, what am I doing here? Here, being Origami Angel’s Spotify page (go ahead, lambaste me for using Spotify).
Origami Angel are a duo hailing from Washington, D.C.. Their third album, The Brightest Days, was released June 16th on Counter Intuitive Records. While different from past releases in some ways (the most notable being its 8 song track list versus past album, Gami Gang’s, 20 songs) their core sound is the same. It’s an energy that sounds Gatorade fuelled and syrupy. It’s quippy lyrics. It’s melodic, palm-muted, nasal voiced rock revival. It’s pop-punk.
If it’s pop-punk, why am I listening? If I’m being honest? FOMO. Some of my favourite songs aren’t my own discoveries but accidental infiltrations. I was in a friend’s car, and after she studiously ignored my suggestion of PJ Harvey, she put on the new Rosalía album. ‘Hentai’ is now my go-to song on my own transit commute to work. I don’t want to miss songs I’ll love because I refuse to leave my bedroom covered in Bikini Kill and Black Flag posters. In the name of finding new music, join me in queuing up The Brightest Days.
Album opener and title track, ‘The Brightest Days’, starts off with, well, not a bang. Twee and almost childlike, the intro bubbles into your eardrums with accompanying ukelele. One minute in the track breaks into heavy guitar chugs while keeping the light and melodic vocals. The sunny diction almost makes you forget the more serious lyrical content- something Origami Angel does quite well. ‘Thank You, New Jersey’ features frantic guitars and off-key instrumental squeals that lean into the punk and emo influences the band touts. The song sets itself apart when the tongue twister lyrics, which only contribute to the growing feeling of chaos, start. Halfway between a chant and an old-school radio announcer, the sound is something wholly original. The sweaty, fever-dream tension is broken when the bridge plays soft and sweet. A welcome reprise with a lullaby like rhythm, it doesn’t last for long as the song ends in another blaze of guitar. ‘Thank You, New Jersey’ showcases the best of the band- a unique vocal style and a melody you just can’t kick.
‘Picture Frame’ opens like a They Might Be Giants track before stepping back into familiar electric guitar laden territory. While the song is fun and energetic, I can’t help but wish they had dwelled on the opening a bit longer. Drums reign supreme on ‘Kobayashi Maru (My Very Own)’ with bombast and certainty. The fuzzed out guitar breakdown part way through doesn’t hurt either. Not in sound, but in content, ‘Second Best Friend’ is an 80’s high school romcom. The sound is reliably 2008 but not in an unpleasant way; the nostalgia works with the sticky battle cry of teenage heartbreak. ‘My PG County Summer’ dives into a more political territory (the band is from D.C.). Combined with the band’s natural knack for crafting catchy songs the political edge sounds honest and thought out. The duo isn’t yelling about abortion rights for brownie points- they mean this. Album closer, ‘Few and Far Between’ swells with emotion, palm-muted guitar and dense lyrics.
Am I a convert? Not quite. Do I think it’s a bit rude, a bit pretentious, to dismiss an entire genre? Yes. For the sake of your future favourite song, stop stonewalling things you think you hate. Who knows, you might find your own ‘Thank You, New Jersey’.
