ALBUM REVIEW: The World Is In Your Way (Deluxe Edition) – Dragged Under
2020 might not have gone according to plan for anyone, but it’s definitely turned out pretty well for DRAGGED UNDER. The Seattle-based punk rockers independently released their debut album, The World Is In Your Way, in January. Since then, they’ve embarked on a pre-COVID tour with THE USED, and signed to respected rock label Mascot Records. Now they return with Mascot to re-release a deluxe version of the album which features two additional bonus tracks. On the record, the band aim to strike a balance between “thrashed-up punk, pit-splitting hardcore, technical metal, and hooky alternative.”
The result is a record that’s both catchy and hard-hitting. It draws comparisons to some huge names, including BEARTOOTH and BRING ME THE HORIZON. There are even points where it brings to mind the more pop-punk sound of a band like SUM 41, especially on a song like Chelsea.
They may appear at the end of the album, but it feels appropriate to start by discussing the bonus tracks. The first, Feel It, is a short poppy track which wouldn’t sound out of place on mainstream radio. It has a big catchy hook and features beautiful vocal harmonies and similar backing ‘woahs’ to those found on much of the original record. Of the song, vocalist Tony Cappocchi says: “It encompasses the first time you heard a song, saw a movie, kissed, fucked, or loved somebody… [and] You’re looking for that feeling once more.” It’s a decent track, with an impressive guitar solo that definitely deserves a mention.
The second of the bonus tracks, Just Like Me, is comfortably the strongest of the two. This one’s more raw and raucous, with Cappocchi employing some harsher vocals. It features a hard-hitting middle breakdown, and a simple, memorable chorus hook of “I’m useless, so ruthless, are you sick of yourself just like me? Complicated, irritated, why would you wanna be just like me?” Like many others on The World Is In Your Way, it’s also quite a personal, honest song. Cappocchi describes it as being “about [his] personality and how I act towards people I care about.”
Both the bonus tracks are good additions to the record, but neither succeed in topping the highlights already found on The World Is In Your Way. Perhaps the best of these is the album’s bouncy third track, Roots. This song is a savage, stompy rager, with Cappocchi delivering harsh, fast-paced vocals. It’s also home to one of the best of the record’s many massive hooks, and a swaggering riff-heavy bridge section. Other highlights include the album’s epic, catchy opener The Real You, its blistering fifth track Instability, and the politically-charged Riot
As is often the case for bands like DRAGGED UNDER, the guitar work on this record also definitely deserves a shout out. On The World Is In Your Way, the band’s guitar duo of Ryan Bruce and Sean Rosario offer up plenty of crushing riffs, especially on songs like Here For War and The Hardest Drug. There’s also plenty of great lead work on the album, most notably on the already-mentioned opener The Real You, as well as sixth track Chelsea.
Cappocchi is also a stand out performer on The World Is In Your Way. On almost every track, he provides massive earworm hooks that are sure to stick in listeners’ heads for hours afterwards. These add an instantaneous quality to the record, with prime examples including those found on Roots, Hypochondria and The Hardest Drug. Cappocchi also proves himself more than capable of harsher vocal stylings. These are often delivered at breakneck pace, and inject real savagery to the album. All in all, the combination makes for a charismatic, versatile performance which puts him up there with the likes of BRING ME THE HORIZON‘s Oli Sykes, or even Jason Butler of LETLIVE.
There are some who will accuse The World Is In Your Way of sounding a bit samey. That’s probably fair. After all, a lot of the songs do boil down to heavier verses, anthemic choruses, and the odd savage breakdown. Ultimately though, this is a fun, well-written and well-produced record with some serious highs and no real low points. It makes for an exciting start to a career that many are sure to watch with interest going forward.
Rating: 7/10
The World Is In Your Way (Deluxe Edition) is out now via Mascot Records.
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