As We Fall // Something I Can't Pull You Through [EP Review]

Band: As We Fall

Release: Something I can't Pull You Through

Area: Sydney

Date of release: 15/06/2018

Genre: Pop Punk/ Rock

Reviewer: Daniel Balcombe

For Fans Of: Knuckle Puck, Finch, Real Friends

'The sound of my music keeps me alive, I'll never stop fighting till the day that I die!!' - Alone

I’ve been lucky to see As We Fall play a number of times now over the span of the last couple of years. It’s been interesting to see a band actually grow and adapt their sound through their live performances and I've become a big fan of them. Not only are they a great bunch of dudes, but their music has improved immensely since I've been seeing them. So I guess you could say I was very keen to get my ears around their first release to see if they live energy could be transformed into recordings.

I'll break down the Three track EP and then give you my overall opinion on this debut release!

'Alone ' - Kicks off with pounding drums with a nice phaser effect and then the band comes in a with syncopated riff that had me instantly nodding along. The first verse kicks in and I'm brought instantly back to the Pop Punk bands that have come around in recent years. Bands that mix Pop Punk sensibilities with sprinklings of the Hardcore roots that Punk incorporates and As We Fall have managed to merge them together in a fun and well crafted song. The Chorus gets stuck in your head with the repeated line of "That day that I die". The urgency of the Vocalist voice really pushes the track and I love the way his almost on the verge of breaking into a full blown scream as the song progresses. There is a nice soft breakdown that breaks up the song and then it powers through to the end with the intro riff coming back around with a final "Day that I Died" the track rings out and I was 100% hooked!

'Waste My Time' - Has much more of a straight forward hard rock sound to it and As We Fall almost completely drop the whole pop punk vibe of the opening track. I love the riff that kicks off the track, and the layers that the band adds in until it explodes. The track is punchy, fast, aggressive and gets stuck in your heard. The gang vocals in the chorus is a nice touch and is just begging for some fist pumping! There is some nice riff work and little lead licks throughout the track that adds the right amount of "Balls" to the track! The song breaks down almost going completely silent before a distorted bass lines walks us right back into a head banging riff that'll get your feet moving. The style of this track is a little left field compared to the two other tracks on the EP, but in saying that 'Waste My Time' is a solid Rock track that really is a head nodder!

Avalanche - Was the first single the lads dropped from the EP and it brings back the Pop Punk vibe along with the hardcore elements that mix perfectly. I got a real Finch vibe from this track. I like the way the verse builds on itself by adding in layers of sounds that practically explode into the Chorus. The layered vocals is really cool throughout the track too! The track ends with some nice lead work thrown in over the final chorus and the title of the EP "Something I Can't Pull You Through" screamed as the track fades.

The production on the EP is top notch. Not only are the songs well crafted, they have come out with a GREAT sound. The guitars cut through and the riff work is layered and the different tracks don't over power each other. The drums are hard hitting, the bass has some great lines thrown in and the vocals are aggressive and urgent!

Overall the EP is just as tight as their live performances. MY only issue is there are only three tracks on the EP but that only means that I wanted to hear more from them. As I mentioned at the start I've seen As We Fall really grow as a band with their live performances. I'm just really happy that their debut release can produce the same level of energy their live performances show.