Delay is the most wholesome, corn-fed, all-American pop-punk band since the Ramones. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean corn-fed in terms of an awkward Midwestern middle school dance with too many chaperones. These guys aren’t afraid to get dirty. They drop an F-bomb in the second verse of this album’s first track. Then, they turn around and censor that lyric in the fu#%*& insert. See what I’m getting at? Apple pie, baby.
Delay is the most wholesome, corn-fed, all-American pop-punk band since the Ramones. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean corn-fed in terms of an awkward Midwestern middle school dance with too many chaperones. These guys aren’t afraid to get dirty. They drop an F-bomb in the second verse of this album’s first track. Then, they turn around and censor that lyric in the fu#%*& insert. See what I’m getting at? Apple pie, baby.
This is Delay’s best recording by far. The songs have a depth musically that I’ve only heard in short bursts from them before. The guitar work is amazing, and their vocals have matured greatly. This is less of a straightforward pop-punk record than their earlier material. The music is much more thoughtfully written, and as a result can take you places that Delay’s earlier material might not have been capable of doing.
My favorite tracks are “Bad Habits, Good Company”, “Hairband”* (a song about a love-letter relationship gone sour), and “Lake Erie Back Float”, which is probably my favorite song Delay has ever recorded. It starts dark and heavy with the bass and the line, “I can’t get over anyone,” then transitions into a more uplifting feel as the whole band joins in. The chorus has one of the best hooks I’ve heard this year. If you are into poppier stuff, this record is for you.
*This song is rumored to be about a girl from Richmond. Find out who and win a prize!
