At first listen, one may think Bayside is just a second-rate Alkaline Trio. On second listen, you may hear a little My Chemical Romance and The Smoking Popes in its sound. Third time is the charm, as the band’s guitar work sets them slightly apart.
With its latest release, Shudder, Bayside shows improved skills on instrumentation and overall songwriting. From the album’s opening track, "Boy," fans can hear Bayside’s influences right away, as the introduction riff sounds similar to the Alkaline Trio song, "Hating Every Minute."
"The Ghost of St. Valentine" is a neo-punk song that is the album’s best by far. The song begins rather somberly with lyrics, "It’s getting old / It’s decomposing fact / ‘Cause when I thought it couldn’t get much worse / Life stabbed me in the back."
After the emo moments of the verses and bridges; the song picks up in the chorus before going back to a darker tone.
"There is no love just appetite / And its consequences keep you up at night / Appetite is lust at best / And it’s up to us figure out the rest," guitarist and vocalist Anthony Raneri sings.
Leadoff single "No One Understands" oddly sounds like a Motion City Soundtrack song, which isn’t a bad thing, just an unexpected comparison. "No One Understands" is a single for a reason, an ultra-catchy mid tempo song that should see some airplay. "I had high hopes of silver and gold / I thought this could change for the best / My mom always said I was named for a saint / but I never felt I was blessed," sings Raneri.
The rest of the album varies from modern rock to post-punk with hints of emo. Whichever genre is being used, the band approaches each track with a knack for catchiness. Serious songs such as "What and What Not," an anti-self-mutilation story, and "I Can’t Go On," a track about wanting to die, don’t seem out of place next to the happier ones. "Demons" is an anthem about being yourself despite current trends. Maybe the rest of its label, Victory Records, should take a note or 10.
"Howard," a song about 1980s filmmaker Howard Hughes, comes off a little corny. "Roshambo" and "A Call To Arms" are solid punk rock songs with hints of metal.
The last song, "Moceanu" is a sappy, acoustic song. Come on guys, not every song has to be "dark." Or does it?
While the band certainly has the licks on guitar, Bayside still has a long way to go to distance itself from its peers. Shudder features improvement, but not enough growth to get the group past the "Alkaline Trio-lite" tag that has been placed upon it.
