Just as a clock comes full circle, so does the music world. Every couple of years the music cycle rotates back around from a previous time as it highlights a specific style, sound, or message of influence. Transit is part of the new wave of melodic punk bands that draw heavily from the 90's emo scene. Imagine tidbits pulled from the likes of The Get Up Kids, Texas is the Reason, and Small Brown Bike and a little zest of hardcore and you've got Stay Home, the band's third release to date.
Transit launch into their new EP with the title-track. The listener is surrounded with a wealth of jangly guitars of Tim Landers and Joe Lacy and upbeat drumming offered by Daniel Frazier. The vocals kick in and this song is off and running - Joe Boynton sounds like a young Tommy Corrigan with a bit more harmony to his voice. The music treads the line between a plethora of genres, likely due to the band's varying influences. You've got moments that recall an indie tune, a rock tune, and a hardcore tune. There is the great guitar noodling and cute vocal melodies, rough gang shouts and sing-alongs, and some of those straightforward rock and roll rhythms.
"Nameless (Songs to Static)" follows in a similar mix of melodic punk and hardcore. It's got a definite Crime in Stereo vibe going on,
is Dead-era of course. And that guitar riffing in the final twenty seconds - oh man, I was totally vibing that
it reminded me of Quicksand so much. Why did it have to stop?
Transit continue to fuse together interweaving guitars, driving rhythms, and infectious vocals - sometimes sweet melodies and sometimes rough yells - as they move through the six songs of Stay Home. "Riverside" recalls the best of the early Saves the Day catalog with its pogo-rrific riffs. The vocals to the song actually feel like an endless sing-along. After repeated listens I found myself eager to scream along to the whole damn thing; that's the sign of a great song.
The album concludes on a so-so note with "Outbound." The mostly acoustic tune feels like a misplaced jam session that the band tracked before they were to head into the studio. Once the song kicks in with the full band for the final minute half I enjoyed it much more. I think the vocals just feel a tad too bare without the fullness of a backing band. I'm on the fence with it.
Stay Home is the perfect record for even the most jaded of mid-90's emo survivors to enjoy. And of course it's going to appeal to those enjoying the melodic pop-punk explosion of late. The band has shown a great amount of growth since their last effort and should be hitting their stride perfectly with their next full-length release.
