Happy Friday, rockers! Tomorrow is my birthday where I turn a big scary age, and when my birthday rolls around, I try to pick something special for this column. Not that every band I feature isn’t special, but I like to pick someone I would listen to in my off-hours, something I really enjoy.
Today, it’ll be Better Anyway, a pop-punk emo band from Springfield, Ohio. Their new album To Love Again drops today on streaming platforms. Besides being a really fun band, in our email correspondence with their PR person, they were really excited to learn that we at New Noise are a women-owned, queer-run business, and were delighted to tell us about their recent signing to trans-owned Blind Rage Records, which doubles as a record store and performance space in Dayton, Ohio, and which become the band’s favorite place to play.
To Love Again opens on “If I Could Learn” with its classic, anthemic emo melodies that harken back to the best days of Jimmy Eat World, making for a really grand and epic opening. That energy keeps going with the second track “More Than a Memory,” which features guest vocals from Jason Lancaster of Mayday Parade, a song rich in classic arpeggios and emo energy.
Then “Detriment” takes things down a notch and starts out sounding like a ballad before picking up a little energy, but still moving a bit slower than its two predecessors while still maintaining that emo sense of longing and yearning. Then “Where Are You,” which features guest vocals from Ryan Clay, moves into the territory of a more classic emo ballad, while “Forget Me Now” slows things down even further.
“How I’ve Been” roars the record back to life with ripping power chords and another great emo melody that proves the record has lost no energy following the ballads. Then “I Don’t Even Know Why” keeps up a classic pop-punk breakneck drumbeat with some really crisp pop hooks. “Wherever I Go” slows things down again a little bit, but it never sacrifices the power that the band has, delivering a ballad that truly rips at times. Finally the album’s title track closes out the record with a fast and powerful classic emo-punk style that will hook you instantly.
You can order the new album today from Blind Rage Records. Follow Better Anyway on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok for future updates.
Photo courtesy of Better Anyway
