The Heyday - The Heyday (Review)
Album art for the self-titled album by The Heyday
It is not often the first spin of a debut record from a fresh band leaves you with that tingling sensation, thinking that these guys actually have potential, but to a certain extent this 5 piece power pop group from Denver known as The Heyday manage to invoke those feelings with their first full length release. Serving as a perfect validation of the stereotypical perception that all good bands in this genre immaculately conceive their careers in a garage or a basement, the self-titled effort by Randy Ramirez and the rest of the band is well worth a listen.
The 10 track record starts out with the instantly likable Turn Me Around, which gives you a good idea of what to expect from the remaining 35 or so minutes of the record: neatly arranged pop tunes carried by pianos and electric guitars, catchy drums and perfectly tuned vocals. One of the highlights of the record comes as early as on the second track titled Come In Or Stay Out, where the group shows an ability to craft immersing lyrics and couple it with their evident talent for contagious melodies: ” Oh you broke my heart / but you saved my life / the day you walked right out the door / so stay away ’cause I can’t take the thought of you coming back for more ” - Cheesy? You bet, but unarguably an accurate portrayal of what the carousel of teenage love puts you through. Listen to the track:
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As the album proceeds there is hardly a bad song that leaves you bored, but nothing really stands out and jumps at you again until the sixth track titled Empty Handed starts playing. The opening which lends weight to the piano and a the voice of the mentioned Ramirez is just what we need to be re-immersed with the record, and as you find yourself giving the music all of your attention again you will realize that these guys are a determined bunch, as evidenced by the lyrics: ” I’m not leaving empty handed / so come on baby give me something good “.
Lost With You is the group’s take on what I have previously referred to as the necessary make out tune of every album in this genre, and they pull it off quite well. It will not be the new Delilah (by Plain White T’s), but it serves as a good diversion from an otherwise relatively fast-paced record. The closing track however, Where I Want To Be, is my definite favourite on the entire record, and it stands out as the obvious single choice, with the undeniable potential of becoming a hit. Listen to the track:
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The Heyday is rewarded with a score of 4 out of 6 waves.
Be sure to give this band a good listen if you like pop, because that’s what they do and they do it well. Just don’t go and check out their record with the too high expectations, because at the end of the (Hey)day, this is just a collection of solid pop-tunes that hopefully serve as something to keep us occupied while we wait for this obviously talented bunch to create something that leaves us awed. The potential is certainly there.
Check out the band’s MySpace profile for previews of their songs, live dates (they are touring at the time of writing). You can even download three of their tracks (Turn Me Around, Come In or Stay Out and Where I Want To Be) for free here.
