Review by Dillon Crader
With their newest album, Masquerade, Denver-based act, From Thin Air is sure to make a name for themselves in the new wave of pop punk bands (such as The Story So Far and Real Friends) that have been gaining popularity throughout the past few years. Though From Thin Air is a pop-punk band, I would emphasize the “pop” more so than “punk”, but this isn’t a bad thing at all. That being said, this is an album that is very catchy and fun to listen to.
“The Fallout (This Is the Call Out)” stood out to me the most on Masquerade. This song reminds me a lot of Four Year Strong, specifically, “Heroes Get Remembered, but Legends Live Forever”. The guitar is very up beat and happy, making anyone want to get off his or her feet and start a circle pit with their friends. The vocals to this track are the perfect mix with the upbeat guitar making for an overall great blend. About half way through the song vocalist Ethan Gilbert throws out, “I really do not give a fuck!” followed by a break down, and they shouldn’t give a fuck what anyone thinks because it sounds awesome. Anytime I listen to this song I can’t help but have a grin on my face, imagining myself and good friends moshing and having a blast to this track.
Masquerade is a really happy and upbeat album, just like any pop punk band, and I love this album for that exact reason. “Alone” is the only song on the Masquerade that doesn’t keep the same upbeat rhythm in motion, and with the track being a lot slower then the rest of the album, I wish they would have placed it at the end of the album to give it a nice soft ending. But even though the placement of the song in the album doesn’t seem right to me, it is still a great track and shouldn’t be treated any differently from any other songs on the album.
Overall, From Thin Air is a band that is very up in coming in the new wave of pop-punk bands, and an act that any fans of pop-punk should keep an eye out for. Not a lot of local bands really catch my attention but Masquerade pulled me in instantly and I know that nothing but good will come from this album and for From Thin Air.
Rating: 4.5/5
Listen to “The Fall Out (This Is The Call Out)”