Jeremy McKinnon is angry at critics. This will become abundantly clear throughout this review. It’s therefore somewhat daunting to review A Day to Remember’s latest record-Big Ole.
The ADTR frontman needn’t worry about the critical reception for Big Ole. The album represents a triumphant return to form, especially after the lukewarm response to 2021’s You’re Welcome. While that record leaned toward a somewhat confused mishmash of sounds, Big Ole sees the band rediscovering the perfect fusion of pop-punk and metalcore that made their earlier work so beloved.
The synthy intro to opening track Make it Make Sense feels like a deliberate attempt to wrongfoot the listener into believing that this record will follow the sonic path set by its predecessor. Sounding suspiciously like the Stranger Things theme, the song suddenly bursts into life with a brilliantly abrasive metalcore riff, and McKinnon snarling that he’s “a little bit off today.” The track serves as a metaphorical call to arms, and sets the scene for the record perfectly.
Following on from this, single Feedback turns the aggression up to 11. It’s a scathing attack on critics-both accredited and armchair-of the band’s output. Whether railing against negative comments in the anthemic chorus “When I wanna hear your feedback, I’ll let you know!” or the mic drop moment before the filthy breakdown “take a one way trip where the blacktop leads, PEACE,” this track delivers from start to finish. This is classic A Day to Remember; a band always at their best when their rage is channelled.
Despite the easycore genre often carrying an unapologetically boisterous, dumb jock energy, A Day to Remember infuses it with intelligent lyrics that transcend the stereotype.
Lead single LeBron is the quintessential example of this – a song juxtaposing the exploits of arguably the best basketball player ever, against the perceived slights by music critics (“All you half-ass critics / Go have the day you deserve.”)
Again, this is ADTR’s ire aimed at a specific target, lyrics such as “For every shot you make / They judge you on all the others” and “Nothin’ more that I could say to make you believe / So fuck what you think,” making McKinnon’s anger clear. However, they combine it with a ‘fuck-you’ attitude, so that it comes across as fighting talk, rather than whining. ADTR are going to prove their point, rather than wallow in the criticism.
That being said, it wouldn’t be a proper pop-punk album without a nostalgic nod to the band’s hometown, a theme ADTR explored previously with City of Ocala from 2013’s Common Courtesy. All My Friends is Big Ole’s vibrant addition to this canon, offering an updated take on a tried-and-tested formula. With its infectious, sing-along energy and lyrics that celebrate drinking and good times, it’s bound to be a summer favourite in the band’s setlist.
While there are a number of high-points on this album, it isn’t perfect; as following LeBron, the album slips into a lull of a few forgettable tracks. The likes of Die for Me, Silence and divisive single Miracle are solid slabs of easycore, but they lack the bombast of earlier tracks, and don’t have the same staying power. They’re not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but they just fall short of delivering memorable hooks or standout moments, making them feel like filler rather than must-listen. While Same Team goes some way to capturing the energy of tracks heard earlier in the album, ultimately, these tracks are destined to be skipped on future listens.
However, and this is somewhat key for an A Day to Remember record, album closer Closer than You Think is fantastic. Bad Vibrations, Homesick and What Separates Me from You had In Florida, If it Means a lot to You and If I Leave respectively. Each unique in sound, but similar in that they all provide a fitting full-stop to the albums they appear on. You remember the sentiment of the song, ergo you remember the sentiment of the album.
Closer than You Think harnesses the rage of Big Ole and ties it into a seemingly standard pop-punk song about heartbreak. However, it’s so much more than that; when McKinnon sings “I know your hearts still hurtin’, you can take it out on me / There’s a light up ahead / A little closer than you think” he could easily be referring to himself and the band, airing their frustrations out to the world, with the ‘me’ in question being the band’s fans. They allow the band the cathartic release, leading to the light at the end of the tunnel.
While there’ll be a huge chunk of ADTR’s audience that can take solace in this song, you feel that this song – and album – was just as vital for the band that wrote it.
7/10
Standout Tracks: Lebron, Feedback, Closer than You Think
For Fans Of: Four Year Strong, New Found Glory, Hit the Lights
Written by: Tom Forrester
