Such Gold - The New Sidewalk (Album Review)

Such Gold is an interesting band. They've churned out solid material for years. They also have had trouble having that one giant release that moves them up from the level Pedestals put them in. Misadventures continued to show that the band knows how to play great music but some fans were disappointed and didn't feel it it was as good as Pedestals.  I enjoyed Misadventures quite a bit, but I could see a few of the criticisms. When the first single was released from the band's new album The New Sidewalk it felt familiar but also showcased the progression of the band so I was more than interested to hear the album.

Such Gold plays a great brand of heavy punk. It's melodic, abrasive in places, it has a few hardcore tinges, and definitely some pop/punk leanings.  The New Sidewalk is able, in my opinion, to blend all of this together better than Misadventures did. The songs are more cohesive. The album, as a whole, feels a bit more melodic which I really enjoy. 

In some ways it almost reminds me of The Offspring in their heavy earlier days. I'm a big fan of the way the vocals were done on this album. I think this is equal to or maybe my favorite vocal performance I've heard on a Such Gold album.  Songs like "When It Gives" and "Axed Away" have these driving vocal performance that are backed up by really solid guitar parts. This album is really riff heavy and I think the guitar parts found on the album are the biggest driving factor. Lots of little parts are thrown in here and there to keep it interesting. The guitar is really heavy and in your face throughout most of the album.

I may be in the minority, but after a few solid listens I think this is a nice progression for Such Gold. It is easily starting to become one of my favorite releases from the band. It's a really nice addition to the bands discography and an album I know I'll listen to a lot. The big question with the album is will it push the band up to that next level. I'm not entirely sure that it will.  I'm not sure this is the album that will take the group up to the status of some of their peers like The Story So Far or The Wonder Years because of early fan reaction to some of the songs and timing. That is a shame because it's a pretty solid listen. I'm really hoping I'm wrong and this album catches on and finds a big audience. I also hope some of that earlier negative criticism of the first couple songs released doesn't hurt the impact this album could have with listeners. Whether I am right or wrong this album shows Such Gold continuing to improve and refine their style in a cool way. This album is definitely worth checking out.