Memories of listening to Lifetime and hanging out with the crew every day of the week, skating, partying, or what have you, will always be there for me. It was undoubtedly some of the best times of my life. So when I heard about The Loved Ones and their comparisons to Lifetime, I was very intrigued. I hadn't had such a band in my life in some time, so how could I not give them a shot, considering the same label that put out those great Lifetime records was telling me to do so. So with that, I put in The Loved Ones new self titled EP with open arms and ears.
It's true that the Loved Ones have some of the more infectious hooks around right now. Right out of the starting gate, "100K" kicks you in the ass with a guitar hook that is simple but strong enough to carry a whole tune on its back. And that's exactly what it ends up doing. It's just under three minutes and runs the gamut of good song writing in that time. There is no reason in my mind why this couldn't be a huge radio single this summer.
Not only is every member of the band very proficient with their instrument, the singer, formerly of Paint It Black, can carry a tune like you couldn't imagine. Because of this, they are able to change sound from song to song without it sounding contrived or forced in the least bit. "Chicken" starts off as a mid-tempo rocking number before bursting into an up-tempo Lifetime-esque part. It switches back and forth very well throughout the whole song. On "Massive" they continue to show they are not one-dimensional with a song that is more akin to Hot Water Music than any band mentioned thus far. Surprisingly, the singer is able to pull of the raspy vocals associated with Hot Water Music very well.
The first half of the EP is much better than the second, as "Drastic" and "Candy Cane" are rather boring songs when compared to the rest. "Drastic" is a slower acoustic song that seems to bring the tempo of the whole record down too much, especially when the more upbeat "Candy Cane" follows it.
Overall, this is a very well rounded EP that will appeal to fans of Lifetime, Strike Anywhere, Hot Water Music and the like. It stretches across the board when it comes to punk rock while pulling off everything better than most bands out there today. The Loved Ones is a very worthy purchase early in the 2005 season and I'd be eager to see what comes from this band next.
