I can't be the only person looking forward to this album, or the only person to call it their most anticipated album of this year. It only seems right that this is the first album that I cover on this newly formed blog. With Confidence are an indie pop punk band from Sidney, Australia, that, at the start of the year, signed for record label Hopeless Records along with releasing single We'll Be Okay. Another three singles have been released between that time and the release of the album. In order of release, Keeper, Higher, and Voldemort. I did, rather foolishly, listen to all of these songs before the album dropped. All of the singles are amazing, but that doesn't mean that I don't have my worries. After all, this is their first full -length album. My biggest worry going into this album was whether With Confidence has the ability to craft a full album. Having enjoyable singles teasing the release is one thing, but creating an album that is a pleasure to listen to all the way through is completely different. This band does have a couple of EPs to their name, but an EP is just not the same in terms of the crafting it requires in order to make it work.
One of the worries that I had going into this record, was that this record had the potential to stray into some more generic territories. I want a good album, but also one that demonstrates that this band can take risks within their genre and ability, and how many of them they can pull off.
In terms of the record label that this band is working with, I have no complaints. None at all. Hopeless Records are the record label involved in the creation of this album. The same record label that released one of my favourite albums of all time, Don't Panic by All Time Low. If that is the sort of sound that With Confidence want to go for with this new album, I am on board. It is a match made in heaven. This album looked set to do great things in the world of pop punk music. The potential was there, but could that potential be utilised and go into making a good, enjoyable album all the way through. So, I took a few listens through Better Weather by With Confidence. Did it live up to my expectations?
Well, one thing is clear. I kind of have developed two opinions on this album and are being constantly pulled between these two ideas. On the one hand, the pop punk / pop rock lover inside me wants to say that this album is good. There are plenty of moments on this album that do showcase some great pop punk moments like Higher. But, there is a part of me that considers this album a bit of a disappointment. Especially considering I have called this album my most anticipated release of 2016. I'm afraid, one of my biggest fears for this album has become a reality. Better Weather by With Confidence is a decent, but largely inconsistent record. However, it is a record that demonstrates that we are dealing with a band here that does have chemistry and potential.
So, in order to explain why I think like this, let's start with the band we're dealing with here. Overall, I'm most impressed with Jayden Seeley who sings and plays bass on this record. I just feel like he showcases a lot of personality throughout this band. He proves over the course of this album, that being a member of With Confidence is not just all about screaming intensely over pop punk instrumentation (even though there is a lot of this throughout this album for the hardcore pop punk lovers on tracks like Keys). He showcases a more sensitive side on the track Long Night that came as quite a surprise, in a good way. The piano melody is sad sounding, but does feel welcoming, warm, and also has an element of fluency about it that makes this track seem elegant and balanced. The instrumentation works well with Jayden's voice, giving the song a sense of focus and isolation. Definitely one of the stand out deep cuts of this new album. One of the few may I add. As for our other band members, Ingo Del Carmen who handles guitar, and some vocal duties on songs. Ingo does a great job throughout this record. Sometimes he backs Jayden up by providing strong backing vocals, but I prefer it when he has his brief moments to take the microphone all for himself like on the unexpected, but well-timed vocal switch on Keeper. This band also includes guitarist Luke Rockets who joined the group in early September 2014 between the release of the band's two EPs following the departure of Samuel Haynes in January of that year. He seems to have fitted in pretty well with the rest of the group adding that little bit of guitar texture that can sometimes give the songs a little bit of extra oomph. Joshua Brozzesi also gives an inspired performance on drums all throughout Better Weather. It is clear to me that this band has so much all-round potential, and are able to use it to their advantage on some of the songs here, but a lot of the songs fall under the same category. Mediocre pop punk songs that don't exactly have a lot going for them.
Don't get me wrong, it's got some great moments on it. The singles were all great before, and they're still great in the context of this record, with We'll Be Okay and Voldemort being the best of them. Sometimes, it's hard to look past the influences, though. We'll Be Okay reminds me very much of Stay Awake (Dreams Only Last For A Night) by All Time Low, especially on the chorus. Not taking anything away from that particular song, though. It takes the All Time Low formula and stretches it into something bouncy and just plain fun and floods it with positive vibes creating a pretty damn enjoyable and uplifting song. Voldemort is enjoyable for a similar reason, but it is more specifically the guitar work from Ingo and Luke. Especially the brief solo at the end of the second chorus, it sounds great. The other singles, Keeper and Higher, both have moments that I do enjoy, like the vocal switch on Keeper that I mentioned earlier. But my favourite part of that song is around the two-minute mark when the rock inspired instrumentation drops out in favour of a clean guitar riff. The slight instrumental pause just allows the song to regain focus, and it works a treat. Higher feels like a fusion of two songs. Taking the flowing, positive vibes of We'll Be Okay, and putting it to a heavier instrumental reminiscent of Keeper. It works pretty well, and that guitar hook at the start is amazing, but it doesn't quite have the catchiness of, say, We'll Be Okay.
Keys is at least aware enough to give the guitars some space, but the percussion drowns out the chorus, which does unbalance the song, just a little bit. I have never been a fan of screamed vocals, and this is no exception. I kind of get the get why they are there, to give that sense of frustration, but they are not pleasant to listen to at all on this track. Not exactly a standout moment on this record.
The track Waterfall closes the album with a folk-tinged sound that works surprisingly well. The guitar line at the start (which for some reason reminds my of Comunity Centre by Passenger) has a certain degree of grace and presence behind Jayden's voice. That is, until dreary the percussion kicks in and gives the song an eerie, but an enjoyable edge. The mood then changes again in the chorus as Jayden proceeds to scream his vocals again. I just feel like this track is more misshapen than anything else. The mood constantly changing feels a little untidy. I do really like how the tone is played at the start, though. Again, an okay song, but not exactly one of the best.
This leaves us with Archers and Dinner Bell to cover. Archers is a great song. I say this is mainly because how well balanced the instrumentation is against Jayden's powerful vocal delivery. And the instrumentation really makes Jayden work for this balance, but it comes off beautifully. If all of the songs on this album followed a formula similar to the one used in Archers, we could have had a much better album on our hands. The opening instrumentation on Dinner Bell feels pretty warm. It's got a good heart to it. The relentless, fast, flowing instrumentation all throughout the song is interesting, but my favourite part of this song is the ending, where Jayden starts to seemingly get a bit emotional, but critically, the guitars and drums back him up and fit the mood of the song. It does suffer in a similar way to Waterfalls in its inability to keep any consistency in the tone, but I'm sure there are people out there who will enjoy the inconsistencies scattered throughout some of the songs on this album.
So, the ever looming question. Do I recommend this album? Well, it does certainly have its fair share of problems, but I would definitely recommend this album to anyone into pop punk / pop rock. This album has some thrilling moments on it, to say the least, but a few inconsistencies do set it back for me, which is a shame.
Overall, I would give this album a strong 3.5 / 5 realistically. A bit of a disappointment, but at least I will still have the singles, and a few of the deep cuts to come back to. Let me know what you thought of With Confidence's debut album Better Weather in the comments below. Hope you enjoyed the review.
Favourite Tracks: We'll Be Okay, Archers, Long Night, Voldemort
Least Favourite Tracks: Gravity
Overall Rating: Strong 3.5 / 5
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