Some Antics
Chapel Hill, NC | Established. Jan 01, 2014 | SELF
Music
Press
7.5/10
Ah, pop punk. Somehow it has endured through its relatively brief but still respectable tenure among other spikey-haired subgenres, never quite becoming the most popular, but never disappearing either.
To their credit, while Not Very Fun at Parties starts off sounding very much like Blink 182 circa Dude Ranch and continues to do so for a good portion of the record, North Carolina natives Some Antics end up taking some pretty successful risks with these songs and the whole thing actually does end up having a little more depth than Blink’s record. That’s a compliment from me, take it however you will.
Opening track “Now (Losing Control)” features a post-hardcore breakdown in the middle of its bubbly happiness that is well worth the price of admission. The record starts to take a more serious turn around “Headband” (the fifth track) but it’s toward the end that things get really interesting. While the Billy Talent-style heavy ballad “Back in Time” fails to fully reach the surly depths it aims for (primarily due to the unpreparedness of the vocals to handle such a track) it does show glimpses into what the band will become if they continue on their current path, and it’s pretty intriguing. From here, we get into “Tim’s Song” which features a healthy injection of speed metal, and then the album closes with the thrashing screamo delight of “11:30.”
The songs are pretty tight, which is great because the production is for the most part only there to help bolster and layer. Not a whole lot of cleanup was done otherwise, but that’s fine, this is fuckin’ punk rock.
Not Very Fun at Parties is, ironically, probably a very fun record to put on at parties. It’s energetic enough to get an impromptu mosh pit out of any willing crowd, and it’s interesting enough to merit a second, third, and even fourth listen. How ‘bout that? - Bucket List Reviews
3.7 out of 5
Some Antics is a band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. They formed in 2014 and played all over the place, won a battle of the band competition and recorded a demo. The band decided it was time to get a professional recording and the result is Not Very Fun at Parties.
The band likes to say they are "pop-punk but without the clichés.” There is no doubt the band is pop-punk and I can say they play into enough staples of the genre that I wasn’t confused as to what they were attempting. The band has a lot going for them. I thought the vocals were consistently well delivered. They have an undeniable energy and they keep things interesting.
The band get going with “Now (Losing Control)” which comes out of the gate with a lot of energy. Pop-punk in general is geared towards a younger audience and that is apparent here from the coming of age themes to the uplifting, exuberant energy.
The band has some more success with “Why Don’t You Care” which is a catchy song. I thought the vocal melody was memorable the first time I heard it. “State of Mind” brings to mind a band like Blink 182 while “When There's Nothing Left” displays the proper way to go into a breakdown and get back out of it.
As the album progresses the songs are consistently good. “Headband” features the best solo guitar lead on the album in my opinion while “Cold In June” is a nihilistic teenage romp. ”Old Photos,” “Back In Time” and “Tim's Song” aren’t to be missed as well. They close with “11:30” which was a highlight.
I can’t say the band is breaking any barriers of pop-punk at this point but they certainly do the genre more than justice. Take a listen. - Divide and Conquer
Discography
Not Very Fun at Parties (2018)
The Mess I've Made (2017)
Photos
Bio
Some Antics is a punk rock/pop-punk band that formed in late 2014 in Chapel Hill, NC. Since then, the band has frequented venues in the area with numerous shows in the books at the Cat's Cradle, Local 506, Motorco, and the Kraken amongst many others. In early 2017 the band played in front of over 300 people at the annual Battle of the Bands at the Cat's Cradle and, out of about 11 bands, won first place and got to perform an encore after all the sets. Later that year, the band documented their original works at the time by means of doing a completely independent recording called "The Mess I've Made". This recording is best described as a demo tape for those who had been demanding the band record some of their work, it was completely written, recorded, mixed, and mastered by the band. After just over a year of writing and playing gigs later, the band felt like they had material that deserved a proper recording. This time, with 10 new tracks, they fundraised enough to have the album professionally recorded at Crimson Moon Studios and mastered at Kitchen Mastering. This process culminated in the record "Not Very Fun at Parties" and on August 12th of this year, the album release show took place at the Cat's Cradle and was an absolute success for the band. The band is currently looking to play as many gigs as they can on the album as well as recording more demos for the next project.
Band Members
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