Pop-punk has always been a genre dominated by American bands, with British bands seeming to never be able to live up to the perfectly polished hooks that the American bands do so well. Luckily Glasgow 4-piece 'Up For The Let Down' are here to prove the naysayer's wrong. With their catchy hooks and crunching guitar lines they could easily stand up to the new school of American pop-punk bands such as 'We The Kings'.
Opening track 'Make It Count' kicks off the demo in fighting force, smacking you straight in the face with it's hooky vocal melody and simple accompanying guitar. When the song kicks in, it just gets better, churning out hooky vocal line over hooky guitar line, its one of the most memorable songs I've heard from a British band in a long time. It goes a little sketchy in the middle section, with some timing issues, but still keeps up the energy throughout.
Next up is 'I'm an 80's kid'. Sticking to the winning combination of simple guitars with catchy vocals. The addition of the gang vocals in the chorus gives the song a slightly edgier feel to 'Make It Count' but keeps that same, happy energy that's made pop-punk such a big selling genre. The chorus screams out for a sing-a-long and will have you singing along in your head for days to come.
The demo is brought to a close with last track 'Smile'. The quiet intro seems to drag slightly, but once the whole song kicks in you're definitely glad you waited. Launching into yet another hooky-as-hell verse, the song is another example of how good this band really are. The middle section will easily have you singing along to the 'Smile For The Camera' line for weeks to come.
I don't care if Pop-punk isn't 'Your Thing,' there is no way that you can deny that it is one catchy genre! And this Scottish pack have definitely got it right, proving for once that the British can do it, and do it right! They may not be reinventing the wheel, but they'll definitely have you singing along for weeks to come!
Hometown Sounds...