"...and we travel on"

Home to These Explosions
…And We Travel On

Home to These Explosions claims to be a mix of indie, hardcore and pop punk. Well, after listening to their new album released by New York DIY label Raise Your Fist! Records, I have this to say: I can see the indie, and definitely the pop punk, but as for the hardcore aspect of the band? Give me a break, buddy, I’m just not buying that.

At times the band can have a heavy sound with some pretty interesting guitar riffs, but then it seems to lose all of that power as soon as the first verse starts and the vocals kick in. This CD won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but to those in search of a new underground pop punk band to listen to, I suggest to you these guys. Think an angrier, heavier, more musically advanced version of all your Good Charlotte’s out there, and there you go: Home to These Explosions awaits you.

“From the Board Room to the Gallows” is a song that typifies their sound. The lyrics are pretty awesome and (in the hands of the right band) have the potential to be great. Oh, they’re okay in the song as they are, but if you’re like me and prefer less shaky vocals and a thrashier, hardcore sound, then you’d think the same way. Lyrically the songs have definite visible punk influences – angry, pessimistic social-commentary-type lyrics that say what they’re there to say. If paired with different vocals I think that about three-quarters of the songs on the album would be a lot better, but hey, you can’t help your voice so I’m not counting it as a strike against them. These guys have real talent that shows in their writing – you can always feel the passion there behind their words. Which in punk is a usually a good thing. Sometimes that passion crosses over into emo territory (“I’ve bled in my eyelids” and “shed a red tear” for example) which is concerning if you don’t like emo (a genre which I think would best benefit society by spontaneously combusting), but hey, make your own opinions.

“There’s No Hope In Being Hopeless” and “…And We Travel On” both deal with the punk scene, underground bands, and basement shows – some of my absolute favorite things. Honestly, this is not usually the kind of music I listen to or prefer to listen to, but of the tracks on the album I find them the most bearable and I actually found myself enjoying them from time to time. It could have something to do more with the subject matter than the actual song itself, but then again, who knows?

In the end, Home to These Explosions has a lot of heart and some skill, but if you’re looking for band that’s street or hardcore or anything other than the indie/punk band that they are, then this probably won’t be the band for you.