If you aren’t quite ready for spring, ship your ass up to Boston where it seems that everyday is winter – at least according to pop punkers, KCUF and their album, Everyday Is Winter Here. If you haven’t heard it yet, I am here to tell you that it is more than worth a listen. Pop-punk is really far too narrow a box to try to put this band. While it definitely fits, their music is one of a kind, flirting with multiple sub-genres to become the gem that it is.
The first song is one of my favorites on the album, so needless to say I was hooked right away. “Red, Red, Red” is so catchy that it’s addictive. I can’t tell you how many times that I have replayed this song since hearing it for the first time. It has a very palatable, almost Gin Blossoms-y feel, with an awesome pop punk undertone. I love the vox on this song and I only had to listen to it about three times before I was singing along. This record was made for driving down the road with the windows down. Winter be damned.
Track 2, “Drinking Season,” is vocally addictive as well, with cutting lyrics to kill. KCUF isn’t afraid to tell the sometimes hard to hear truth, and I dig it. This one has a catchy riff as well, thanks to guitarists, Mike Barone and Chris Jackson. “Scars,” the third track on Everyday Is Winter Here, is a punk song to the core powered by the rhythm section with Aria Rad on bass and Ken Bousquet on drums.
My favorite song on this record was the fourth track, “Drop the Knife.” This song nods nostalgically towards that emo/pop-punk band sound of the early 2000s. It’s just as catchy, just as decadent, with killer lyrics that are cuttingly visual. This is another one that you’ll find yourself incapable of resisting the urge to sing along. (Probably a little too enthusiastically, but who cares what people think?)
“Drafty,” track number 5, is a little bit of a slower tune, but I really enjoyed it and thought it to be quite lovely. It also plays into the winter theme of the album, which is not lost throughout the track listing. It’s rare for releases to so strongly stick with their concept throughout the entirety of the recording and I really appreciated that about this album. Track 6, “Funeral Tie” goes back towards KCUF’s emo side, with lyrics to match. The only thing wrong with this tune is that it is the last one on the album, and I think you’ll find yourself wishing there was more as well.
Breezy McMullen is the Editor in Chief at PA and Find Out. In addition to her duties there, she is also a co-owner of Allegedly Records and a founding member of the international co-op, Scene to Scene. When she’s not herding children or musicians, you can find her in the woods or on a lake getting stoned…. probably.