As the album begins, following a Twin Peaks sample, the guitars build in a familiar punk chord progression with some post-hardcore flair. At about the one-minute mark, you know the vocals are going to kick in, and you half expect a group “Hey!” That’s not quite how it goes, but the vocals are emphatic and punchy with a similar syncopation as it builds to the chorus of the opening title track, “Patience In Presence.” The chorus owes a lot to Hot Water Music but the sound is more rooted in the melodic punk style that A-F Records typically releases. It’s singalong and catchy, but with nuance thrown into the melodic punk structure. It’s a pattern that continues throughout this 11-song debut full-length, though each song takes its own direction.
I won’t go into a play-by-play on each song, but Celebration Summer play singalong punk, the kind that is built around group vocals and shouted choruses. It’s familiar so-called orgcore in spirit, but with a lot of nuance from track to track. Some show clear East Bay influence (some of my personal favorites) with gruff, direct vocals. Others insert dual vocal layers and sometimes we get a mid-tempo, thoughtful jam like “The Listener.” The East Bay basslines recall Crimpshrine at times. The lyrics are, for the most part, observational and reflective. It all closes with a Tiltwheel cover, which should give a good idea of what this band is all about. As much as I love Tiltwheel, the cover doesn’t quite fit and may worked better on a 7” or another release.
The standouts to me include “Disconnected,” “Bitter End,” “Resin,” and “Against The Gun.” But others capture my attention, for sure. The band has a distinct style over this record, but the tone shifts slightly and, depending on my mood, different songs jump out each day. Of course, this shows good depth and a strong connection between music and listener. I prefer the gruffer songs, but I also think a whole record in that style would lose some momentum. Variety is good and switching from gang vocals to a single singer and somewhere in between works well.
There are signs it’s the band’s first record. I feel like some songs get too repetitive, with “Fraud” as an example. And the band pulls influence from a few styles I just don’t love. The title track has some secondary vocals that remind me of what I’ll call mainstream pop punk, and I’ve never been a fan of spoken word lyrics, which bogs down “A Good Year To Forget” later on, but overall this record leaves a strong impression and I’m curious to hear how the band develops as their influences become a little more subtle.
