Nautical Mile is Perth’s newest breakout pop-punk band. Having released their debut album back in 2019, they return with their first non-single release since with last week’s new EP. I hadn’t actually heard of the band before I got the email about them, but I am a big fan of the band and there is so much good music coming out of that area of the world recently, so I’m excited to check it out!
‘Dying Light’ opens on some of the most pop-punk vocals I’ve ever heard and a pretty simple guitar riff behind them. It immediately gives me Neck Deep and ADTR vibes, which is definitely a good thing! It builds up pretty well with the introduction of the drums and bass before exploding into a HUGE riff for what I assumed was the chorus. My suspicions were confirmed by the time the second chorus hits, the same riff coming back but this time with some pretty catchy vocals over the top of it. The chorus grows on me more and more each time I hear it too, I love it by the third time through. Add that to the awesome little bridge riff and the dropdown and build-up leading into the final chorus and we have a great song! It was enjoyable, catchy and the structure was just different enough to keep it interesting, something that pop-punk seems to have always struggled with.
Lead single ‘Purgatory’ opens on a heavier riff than anything we heard on the previous song, definitely leaning more towards the ADTR end of the spectrum. It stays pretty fast-paced through the verse, the combination of chugging and lighter guitar notes behind the vocals reminding me of ‘What’s My Age Again?’ quite a bit. It again builds into a massive chorus, this one even bigger and catchier than the previous songs. The backing vocals add a lot of depth to it all and the vocals themselves sound a little like Gerard Way’s to me. The heavy riff comes out the back end of it but doesn’t last quite long enough, dropping back into the verse quickly. In fact, there are quite a few heavy riffs throughout this that could have been used a bit more, but in all, it’s not the worst as we get more catchy vocal hooks. A brief dropdown again builds into a massive final chorus to round out what is all-around an awesome song, and one that makes the playlist!
‘Where do we Go’ is another that opens on a pretty great riff, building up and exploding into a heavier version of it before dropping down again for the verse. It builds into a pretty catchy pre which, in turn, builds to a great chorus. It’s the best thing about this band so far that I’ve heard, they are VERY good at structuring a song, building it up more and more into some truly epic-feeling choruses. This song even has a breakdown, and a pretty heavy one at that, which was a nice surprise too! It’d be awesome to hear them go that heavy more, just as a little finger cross from me… Another good song too, by the way, this was awesome!
‘Suppression’ is another great track, the chorus being a particular highlight of it due to its infectious catchiness. The riffs again are pretty heavy behind the vocals too, which is always nice to hear. The same could be said for the final track on the album, ‘Embers’, too. It’s a good, pretty heavy pop-punk track that is a good way to close out the EP. It’s a bit more anthemic than the others, the lyrics being powerful and a classic breakup song. Great stuff!
Overall: This was good! It’s pretty difficult for me to find new pop-punk that I like these days due to the limitations the genre presents, but each song here was enjoyable and worth another few listens. I’ll definitely be checking out more from this band and am looking forward to future releases!
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