What do you get when you mix Stand Atlantic, WSTR and State Champs? In this case, an upbeat yet vulnerable blend of pop-punk (more emphasis on the pop), courtesy of Broadside, with their latest release, Into the Raging Sea.
On Into the Raging Sea, singer and band leader Oliver Baxxter opens up in a way he hasn’t before, with a selection of songs both energetic, such as Foolish Believer, Overdramatic, or the recent single Heavenly, and others on the more sensitive side: The Raging Sea, which appropriately turns into a rager towards the end, or Clarity are great examples here. With lyrics such as “I know my days are numbered, I just want to be remembered,” or “Can I make it out? Will I make it out? Is there any point? What’s the point?”, it’s easy to see just how introspective Baxxter is during these 37 minutes.
The thing with this album though, in our opinion, is that it’s very much one for a particular mood. Which is not to say that the songs here are bad – not by any stretch of the imagination! Both Baxxter and the rest of the band – guitarist Domenic Reid, bassist Patrick Diaz and drummer Jeff Nichols – bring the same levels of energy and talent they’ve shown since they became part of Broadside, and the lyrics are also quite good, as mentioned before, with fans likely to be able to easily relate to Baxxter’s words. The only thing that holds this album back is a lack of variety in terms of songs.
Not to say that they all sound the same, but they don’t sound too different from each other, either. Tracks are either upbeat and energetic, or laid-back, sensitive and vulnerable, with virtually no middle-ground. By the time Burning at Both Ends rolled around, we were tired of it and everything sounding the same. For some this might not be a problem, especially if they love Broadside and the sound they employ, but maybe we’re just looking into it too much for what it is, or expecting too much “freshness” and variety out of a pop-punk record. Save for a few tracks, this album didn’t feel like one we’d go back to regularly.
In the end, Into the Raging Sea is somewhat of a disappointing release, for us at least. Longtime Broadside fans will probably still enjoy this album though, as the songs themselves aren’t bad by any means – just a little underwhelming and not as varied as we’d like. Maybe next time, eh?
6.5/10
Standout Tracks: Heavenly, Foolish Believer, The Raging Sea
For Fans Of: Blink-182, Stand Atlantic, WSTR, State Champs
Written by: Florin Petrut
