Denver, Colorado\u2019s Zephr have been in my rotation for five years now, and this sophomore album continues the trio\u2019s heartfelt version of punk and hardcore that balances both hard-hitting numbers and vulnerable moments of introspection.<\/p>\n
It seems like the band puts the best song in the leadoff position, where \u201cRome\u201d blends post-hardcore and pop-punk into the searing delivery with Rachel Lujan\u2019s well-timed guest pipes. However, \u201cBitter\u201d follows and is just as great, as smoother singing replaces the throaty vocals and Tyler Merkel\u2019s furious drumming makes an indelible impression. <\/p>\n
Deeper into the first half, the swirling post-punk of \u201cCannery Row\u201d also brings in some timeless rock\u2019n\u2019roll influences, while \u201cCry To The Dawn\u201d places harmonic singing into the busy yet controlled delivery of melodic punk. <\/p>\n
The middle spot is where the title track lives, and it allows for Eamonn Martin and Jim Fitzpatrick\u2019s gruff singing to shine amid the blistering rhythm section, and the sing-alongs of \u201cMy Depression\u201d aren\u2019t too far away and even reel in gang vocals for effect. <\/p>\n
The most intimate song, \u201cMy Memorial Day,\u201d welcomes Cameron Hawk\u2019s mandolin and showcases another, gentler avenue where Zephr shine. \u201cPerfume Memory\u201d exits with Martin\u2019s bass and Fitzpatrick\u2019s guitar fueling the raw songwriting and powerful dynamics that, at six minutes, allows the band to explore and impress us until the end.<\/p>\n
Digitally, this is generously available as a \u201cpay-what-you-want\u201d option. Physically, it\u2019s on black vinyl and just 250 copies were pressed. I suggest picking up copies for your friends who like The Lawrence Arms, Jawbreaker, Polar Bear Club, Small Brown Bike, Dillinger Four, Hot Water Music , Midwestern emo or DC influenced post-punk, \u2019cause Past Lives is probably going to be the best record they\u2019ve heard in many years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":35299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[10581],"rating":[5646],"class_list":["post-47186","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-zephr","rating-rating-a"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/47186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/89"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47186"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/47186\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=47186"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=47186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}