A Day To Remember – “Bad Vibrations” [Album Review]

A Day To Remember — currently in the midst of a tour supporting the legendary Blink-182 — are at the height of their career. And now, on the eve of releasing their latest full-length Bad Vibrations, the odds are good that they’ll only rise to even larger heights, further solidifying themselves as one of the biggest names in modern pop-punk. While exhibiting some significant growth, A Day To Remember melds the best aspects of their past five records together to create one cohesive, killer album on Bad Vibrations.

The band wastes no time in getting down to business with title track “Bad Vibrations”, which is a total banger reminiscent of heavier cuts from 2010’s What Separates Me From You and 2013’s Common Courtesy. The fast-paced “Paranoia” and “Naivety” keep things moving, followed by the bone-crushingly heavy breakdowns of “Exposed”. I got distinct Homesick (2009) and For Those Who Have Heart (2007) vibes from the catchy pop-punk laden songs “Bullfight” and “We Got This”. Meanwhile, “Reassemble” is one of the finest examples of the maturity and growth of the band on this record — chock full of the heavy breakdowns, gang vocals and melodic singing that fans have come to love and expect, but masterfully crafted and arranged. The group’s willingness to mix things up is evident in second half of this song which slows down to acoustic guitar, piano, and vocals.

If any song on the record can be said to have the quintessential A Day To Remember sound, it’s “Justified”. This track feels like a journey that takes you from 2005’s And Their Name Was Treason to the present, with a catchy, melodic refrain and bouncy riffs punctuated by heavy breakdowns. “Same About You” exhibits their brand of angsty pop-punk at its best, while “Turn Off the Radio” showcases some of the best vocal harmonies and guitar work on the record. The album culminates in the anthemic “Forgive and Forget” which, much like “If It Means a Lot to You” did for Homesick, closes the record on a high note. The song starts off slowly, beginning mellow, but builds into a massive number that is sure to make for kickass sing-alongs live.

For a band that has had to deal with years of legal battles with their former label Victory Records over the rights to their past albums and musical future, A Day To Remember have managed to keep their collective head in the game and craft some wonderful music on Bad Vibrations that should appeal to fans both old and new.

Bad Vibrations Track Listing:

01. Bad Vibrations
02. Paranoia
03. Naivety
04. Exposed
05. Bullfight
06. Reassemble
07. Justified
08. We Got This
09. Same About You
10. Turn Off The Radio
11. Forgive And Forget

Run Time: 41:43
Release Date: September 2, 2016

Check out the track “Bullfight”