There is so much good that can be said about Brighton, UK’s Pop Punk’s, As It Is. Coming from humble beginnings, and emerging on the American scene after signing to Fearless Records, (not without the help of Lead Singer Patty Walter’s ever-so-popular YouTube page), As It Is have made their mark with their debut LP, “Never Happy, Ever After”. I felt the need to write this piece, because there is a lot to be said about what As It Is has decided to do with their latest effort.
In what are considered today’s “Standards of Pop Punk”, As It Is have chosen to stray from the path and call back to the bands that influenced them. As opposed to sounding like another attempt at capitalization on what The Story So Far did with their debut LP, “Under Soil and Dirt”, As It Is show massive influence from the era of music heavily defined by bands like, The Starting Line, blink-182, Saves The Day, Midtown and other contemporary’s to those groups. As It Is have crafted a sound that fits perfectly on the Fearless Record’s roster, boasting Pop Punk Powerhouses such as Mayday Parade and Real Friends, but also have a notion of nostalgia and put on a mask that could pass as a Drive-Thru Records band of the early 2000s.
The fact that As It Is don’t sound like another Story So Far rip off is what I like so much about them. There is melody in what Walters and co-lead singer, Ben Biss sing. There is more than borderline screaming going on, there is harmony and melody and massively poppy influences. Though this has all been done before, the sound is so refreshing is different from all the rest that it is nice to hear all of this again. “Never Happy, Ever After” has tracks that portray feelings of self doubt, feelings of sorrow and regret, and rather than speak of girls like many Pop Punk bands of the past and modern day have done, As It Is keeps a lot of their lyrics in the perspective of what Walters and Biss have done and the way they feel about the people around them.
The reason I wrote this article is, As It Is are a refreshing outlook on what Pop Punk has become by today’s standards. Though, as I said, they aren’t doing anything that hasn’t been done before, there is such a gap between their sound and their contemporaries, that As It Is should be standing alone amongst the hoards of Pop Punk bands, especially coming from the UK in this day. Everyone has a soft spot for those poppier Pop-Punk songs and veteran fans of the genre will find comfort in As It Is’ sound do to their similarities to groups like The Starting Line, Saves The Day and Midtown. As It Is have a timeless sound that should not go unnoticed because they could literally fit in an era of Pop Punk with the sound they’ve crafted. They are a sweet mix of the old-school ways of Pop Punk and the new-school, gritty and angsty tunes that have come out in the last few years.
As It Is have the potential to change the face of Pop-Punk like The Story So Far, A Day To Remember, blink-182 and Green Day all have before. The only thing standing in their way is the public, but what “Never Happy, Ever After” brings to the table is something that can appeal to any fan of Pop-Punk from any era of the genre. As It Is could be the new face of Pop-Punk and the new pioneers of how it sounds, and they absolutely should be.
“Never Happy, Ever After” drops April 21st, 2015 via Fearless Records
Recommended Track: Concrete
