ALBUM REVIEW: Crown Shyness – Trash Boat
Pop punk is in a bad way, there’s not much else to say about the genre as a whole. Of course there are some bright sparks out there with the likes of NECK DEEP and THE WONDER YEARS providing a figurative light at the end of the tunnel but for the most part it’s all gone a little bit beige. The constant parade of John Feldmann produced cookie cutter wave of pop punk bands has killed many people’s hype for the genre, with many declaring that the scene has become not only creatively but sonically bankrupt, returning to the same old well time and time again for sustenance. Though it’s not reinventing the wheel, Crown Shyness by UK providers of aggro pop punk TRASH BOAT is certainly a good antidote to the sterile and Fisher Price ready sound of the majority of the genre.
Produced by Andrew Wade (NECK DEEP, A DAY TO REMEMBER, THE GHOST INSIDE) this album has real aggro and actual punk merit to it. It’s not AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED but at least you can hear where the punk in pop punk comes from.
Crown Shyness is a nice departure from the band’s last album Nothing I Write You Can Change What You’ve Been Through with the upping of the raw jagged sound sadly missing from the genre as a whole. It’s the band’s trip into the world of hardcore is where you will find the album’s greatest success, its breakdowns spread like wildfire throughout the record making its more melodic moments stand out more and more. Though the band’s debut effort had a lot of heart, Crown Shyness certainly benefits from their willingness to embrace the harsher side of their sound.
Lyrically, the album is also an emotional gut punch, transcending through moods of sorrow and loss with enough brevity and t shirt tugging emotion that it takes a lot to not got lost in its rapturous melodies and infinite amounts of charm. The album is also very reminiscent of Life’s Not Out To Get You era NECK DEEP but with a bit more of the edge that was filed down on that record, while still packing the same level of choruses. Tracks like Inside Out and Silence are both certified bangers with major choruses but still have that edge that stops it from straying into jelly and ice cream territory.
Frontman Tobi Duncan has a touch of the Dallas Green in his delivery which really brings out the melodies, which for once on a pop punk album is actually a dynamic range. Pair that with the backing tracks which have a real zip and bounce to them. It definitely puts a spring into your step and sounds great in this burning British summer. Of course as is legally required with the territory, it seems it does sadly have an unnecessary ballad. Lyrically it does have a gut wrenching punch with its clearly personal lyrics detailing depression but it does kill the album’s momentum temporarily. However at only ten tracks long Crown Shyness is able to get right back on track immediately.
Whilst Crown Shyness won’t change the world, this is a good addition to TRASH BOAT‘s discography and a welcome break for anyone who is becoming disenchanted by the tame, friendly and tepid range of pop punk bands. It really is nice to hear a pop punk album that sounds like it was recorded by actual people rather than a lead singer and someone with a panel of filters, effects and algorithms.
Rating: 7/10
Crown Shyness is out now via Hopeless Records.
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