Trophy Eyes – Mend, Move On

Newcastle’s Trophy Eyes arrive on the scene with an extremely emotional and raw debut album.

Bouncing between pop-punk and melodic hardcore using fast, punk-inspired drums and driving pop-punk guitar riffs to accentuate lead singer John Floreani’s passionate and emotionally charged lyrics. Surprisingly for this genre the songwriting is incredibly deep while still maintaining a melodic progression. This is especially evident in standout tracks Responsibility and Structure – which has the catchiest chorus despite its extremely dark nature – and My Name On Paper. Floreani’s singing is at times confronting with the openness and emotion, especially during In Return.

While much of this album is bleak, it finishes positively on Penfold State Forest with the line, “I’m tired of writing sad songs, but that’s all that I have left. Cause it’s the things that I reflect on, that make me who I am” suggesting future releases could be more upbeat.

The only criticism that can be placed is that the band never risks stepping out of their comfort zone. (JA)

*** 1/2