ALBUM REVIEW: Salt & Acid – Nightlife

There are plenty of bands in the rock and metal world that are looking to breakthrough into the public light, some succeed while others don’t. One of the new kids on the block, NIGHTLIFE, have their debut record Salt & Acid due for release on February 24th, with the British punk quartet looking to follow in the footsteps of bands such as BLINK-182 and SUM 41 to name but a few.

The opening track of the record, Left Alone, gives the listener an indication straight away as to what the band are all about and what to expect from the album. It starts off with a hard hitting fast riff, followed by the vocals of Paul Foster. The lyrics appear to be about the breakdown of a relationship, with one partner looking to leave the other. When you put them all together, then you have the basic makings of a typical pop punk song, and echoes similarities to the style of bands such as PANIC! AT THE DISCO and JIMMY EAT WORLD.

The theme doesn’t really change too much throughout the rest of the record, and the style of each song on the album is undeniably pop punk, which shows that the band have good continuity and haven’t tried to do too much or change their sound significantly between each song like some bands have in recent years (and not very successfully either).

There are a couple of songs though that stand out from the rest, despite them all sounding very similar on a wide scale. For example, Wholesome, which starts off relatively heavier compared to some of the other tracks on the record. It begins with a guitar solo from Will Wilson, before being accompanied by Lewis Harrison’s bass. From the intro itself, anyone who didn’t know any better could easily mistake the band for FOO FIGHTERS or AIRBOURNE due to how similar the sound is.

The title track Salt & Acid also stands out on the album, partly because it is the final song on the album which is unusual for a title track, but mostly due to the overall delivery of the track. Lasting just under four minutes, this particular song is a hard, fast, pop punk album, again highlighting what NIGHTLIFE are and what their sound is like.

There have been a lot of bands in this genre who have come and gone, while others are still going strong to this day. In the modern era of music, NIGHTLIFE do fit in more with popular culture, and there’s a very strong chance that the band and the new album will be received well by their intended audience, and potentially radio stations across the country.

Salt & Acid is a solid debut album, and many bands would be more than happy with how the whole product sounds. The only real issue is that there isn’t really anything ground breaking or distinctive which really makes NIGHTLIFE stand out. When compared to the other big pop punk bands and the albums that they debuted with, Salt & Acid sounds too similar to what we’ve already heard before. If it’s received well when it’s released by the mainstream media and potential fans though, it will succeed, and could be a huge milestone in the band’s career.

Rating: 6/10

Salt & Acid is set for release on February 24th via self-release.

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