I know I've said this before, but God bless the Bay Area! Five-piece outfit This Time Next Year is the latest band to emerge from the thriving music scene of the Golden Gate. The young pop-punk outfit hits the scene with Demonstration, five tracks of fabulous pop-punk and melodic hardcore fused as one.
"The Wise are Always Better" begins the demo with an excellent display of high-energy catchy pop-punk. There is excellent pogo-riffing provided by Brad Wiseman and Denis Cohen and vocalist Pete Dowdalls' sweet melodies compliment them perfectly. "Sands of Bougainville" quickly follows with a bit more of an edge. In addition the pop-punk sound, the band also throws in some hardcore aspects. There are sing-along choruses and a little bit of a breakdown, not unlike local gone national heavyweights Set Your Goals. "Silver Springs" and "A Place for You" emote the origin of their namesake - The Movielife - with catchy hooks and upbeat music - especially Jay Scott's drumming - that'll make you want to run a marathon. Demonstrations closes with "Hearts and Arrows," another ditty that perfectly melds the fun of pop-punk with the intensity of melodic hardcore.
Lyrically, Dowdalls tackles familiar territory by focusing on the topics of friendship and loves, both existing and lost. And while it is a topic that has been rehashed so many times, the lyrical arrangements give it new life. While the songs unfold and the lyrics are delivered, images form in your head of the events; these are words you can truly relate to.
For being just a demo, the production quality is quite good. But looking at the credits, it isn't as much a surprise seeing the name Zach Ohren in print. Ohren has recorded just about every notable hardcore/metal/punk act from the Bay Area - notables included Set Your Goals, Life Long Tragedy, and Killing the Dream.
As a whole, these five songs from This Time Next Year are a great starting point for a young band. With a good amount of touring - which is planned for this Summer - the band could make quite a name for themselves. Definitely be on the lookout for these guys and hit up a show when they roll through your town.
