With just a mere four months between releases, New York pop punkers Patent Pending have been working hard to produce their latest album Riot Hearts Rebellion. Known for their eclectic mix of genres we weren’t sure just what to expect, but it’s safe to say that this definitely wasn’t it.
Opener Another Day is a bit bizarre: at times it sounds like it should come out of an American love film with its slow tempo and acapella feel. This was absolutely nothing that we were expecting from the release, let alone the opener!
It doesn’t get better as we continue to second track Until The Sun Comes Up, “they mocked my music like I was some kind of freak” is kind of asking for us to be a bit shocked by the record. Upbeat, electro pop and chorus-heavy it very slowly edges towards the usual pop-punk edge we loved from PP; but it isn’t there yet.
Love is Anarchy and Little Diamonds act as the saving graces of the release. Bringing in the riffy guitar lines and gang vocals which you can’t help but want to have a sing along to. We’ve even got the melodramatic pop-punk love lyrics explaining that love is “just another word for catastrophe,” fitting the cliché themes pop-punk often brings. Little Diamonds is a stronger track with an anthemic undertone to it, getting under your skin and bringing a smile to your face – a very well needed one after the rough start!
Just when we think it’s all getting better, then comes NSFW (.)(.) undoubtedly the cringiest and most horrific song we’ve been graced with in years. The lyrics “naked pictures sound like fun until you break up//don’t take pictures of you in your birthday suit” make us actually feel really embarrassed that the band deemed this a good idea for a song. It’s cheesy, childish and problematic taking this release from a six right back to a two. Dating A Dick retains the horrific lyrics and parody tracks singing of an unsatisfying ‘experience’ from dating a dick. Come on, we know you only had a few months to write and record this but seriously? Just no.
Started In My Head and Last Time That I Saw You see a futile attempt at trying to win back the band’s pop-punk fanbase, but our views on these tracks feel tainted by the prior drivel. Yes Last Time That I Saw You has some questionable lyrics about a drunken night when you see someone you hoped to not; but flaunting layer upon layers of riffy guitar lines, upbeat melodies and lashing of addictive backing vocals finally give the pop-punk sought after.
Final number and title track Riot Hearts Rebellion deserves all of the praise and attention turning into an anthemic ending. You feel empowered and reminded that it really is okay to not fit in with the crowd, which is exactly what Patent Pending are doing.
We can’t lie and say that this was a release we’d happily listen to all the way through again, but there’re a few promising tracks hidden within. It might not be our cup of tea but for the short time between released, it’ll leave Patent Pending fans overjoyed with the lashings of material they have to get their ears around. For us however, this just needs a lot more refining and thought put into it.
5/10
Standout Tracks: Riot Hearts Rebellion, Started In My Head, Little Diamonds
For Fans Of: New Found Glory, Bowling For Soup, Zebrahead
Written By: Nicola Craig
