Rocker (feedbot)
Gold Member
The resolutely independent As December Falls have returned, and they’re throwing caution to the wind. ‘Everything’s On Fire But I’m Fine’ turns vulnerability into pop-punk steel; this is a record forged through the tough times, the days when everything’s crumbling and you just have to push through. The fans are going to adore their brutal honesty sieved through anthemic choruses, and the chaos that they order into crashing riffs is compelling.
The experiences that As December Falls detail are painfully, and sometimes embarrassingly, relatable. The sarcasm and gritted teeth that are channeled in the chorus of the title track come from the kind of situation we’ve all been in, whether we want to admit it or not. Similarly, ‘Bathroom Floor’ takes the cliched despair that a house party can bring on and translate it into maturing riffs cut with Bethany Curtis’ resolute wail. That’s not to ignore it’s ear-worm qualities in the least, and it’s destined to soundtrack more than a few teenage breakup moments. Her choppy ‘Angry Cry’ isn’t an admission of weakness, it’s a promise to acknowledge your own humanity and carry on regardless, and lyrical focus on tiny details tipped with vocals that dip in and out of focus feels like a personal soap opera compressed into three minutes. Even when the enemy they face is themselves, As December Falls take it on the chin, as the bucketload of riffs on ‘Sometimes I Hurt My Own Feelings’ or short devastation of ‘This Isn’t Us’ will attest. As final tracks go, this is a heartbreaking one; incredibly soft compared to the rest of the record and filled with daybreak guitar echoes.
‘Everything’s On Fire but I’m Fine’ is more than just a mirror held up to our lowest moments soundtracked by the finest of today’s pop punk. There’s real humour in the teenage revenge tale of ‘For The Plot’, and a sense of denouement optimism throughout ‘Grim Reaper’. Fundamentally though, it’s a record that tells us a lot about As December Falls. They’re clinging onto their dream, and rather than letting their admirable success go to their heads, they’re taking the rollercoaster they’re on as inspiration for even greater heights. Compared to their debut, ‘Happiness’, ‘Everything’s On Fire But I’m Fine’ feels like a continuation of the process, like we’re looking into the collective As December Falls diary to see what’s befallen them since we last checked in. The connection we’ve built with our favourite Nottingham punks is only deepened with their second album, and it feels like they want to let us in even more. A song like ‘Ready Set Go’ could be lifted from a sarcastic conversation between competitive mates, albeit with a robotic synth layer taking it into our dimension.
The long-prophesied Pop Punk resurgence is in safe hands, and we can be comforted knowing the spirit of melodic angst is as strong as we hoped during the wilderness years. Whether it’s the lonely loveliness of ‘Bathroom Floor’, or the uplifting admissions of ‘Therapy’, between the increasing solidity resonating from the riffs and Curtis’s explosive voice, As December Falls have emerged as one of the UK’s pop-punk frontrunners. ‘Everything’s On Fire But I’m Fine’ is a testament to never giving up as much as it is the diary of a band becoming who they were probably meant to be all along. Their increasingly polished honesty makes for a compelling listen, and we can only look forward to the next chapter of their tale.
KATE ALLVEY
The experiences that As December Falls detail are painfully, and sometimes embarrassingly, relatable. The sarcasm and gritted teeth that are channeled in the chorus of the title track come from the kind of situation we’ve all been in, whether we want to admit it or not. Similarly, ‘Bathroom Floor’ takes the cliched despair that a house party can bring on and translate it into maturing riffs cut with Bethany Curtis’ resolute wail. That’s not to ignore it’s ear-worm qualities in the least, and it’s destined to soundtrack more than a few teenage breakup moments. Her choppy ‘Angry Cry’ isn’t an admission of weakness, it’s a promise to acknowledge your own humanity and carry on regardless, and lyrical focus on tiny details tipped with vocals that dip in and out of focus feels like a personal soap opera compressed into three minutes. Even when the enemy they face is themselves, As December Falls take it on the chin, as the bucketload of riffs on ‘Sometimes I Hurt My Own Feelings’ or short devastation of ‘This Isn’t Us’ will attest. As final tracks go, this is a heartbreaking one; incredibly soft compared to the rest of the record and filled with daybreak guitar echoes.
‘Everything’s On Fire but I’m Fine’ is more than just a mirror held up to our lowest moments soundtracked by the finest of today’s pop punk. There’s real humour in the teenage revenge tale of ‘For The Plot’, and a sense of denouement optimism throughout ‘Grim Reaper’. Fundamentally though, it’s a record that tells us a lot about As December Falls. They’re clinging onto their dream, and rather than letting their admirable success go to their heads, they’re taking the rollercoaster they’re on as inspiration for even greater heights. Compared to their debut, ‘Happiness’, ‘Everything’s On Fire But I’m Fine’ feels like a continuation of the process, like we’re looking into the collective As December Falls diary to see what’s befallen them since we last checked in. The connection we’ve built with our favourite Nottingham punks is only deepened with their second album, and it feels like they want to let us in even more. A song like ‘Ready Set Go’ could be lifted from a sarcastic conversation between competitive mates, albeit with a robotic synth layer taking it into our dimension.
The long-prophesied Pop Punk resurgence is in safe hands, and we can be comforted knowing the spirit of melodic angst is as strong as we hoped during the wilderness years. Whether it’s the lonely loveliness of ‘Bathroom Floor’, or the uplifting admissions of ‘Therapy’, between the increasing solidity resonating from the riffs and Curtis’s explosive voice, As December Falls have emerged as one of the UK’s pop-punk frontrunners. ‘Everything’s On Fire But I’m Fine’ is a testament to never giving up as much as it is the diary of a band becoming who they were probably meant to be all along. Their increasingly polished honesty makes for a compelling listen, and we can only look forward to the next chapter of their tale.
KATE ALLVEY