Belmont - Reflections EP
Belmont. BELMONT! The first time I heard Belmont in 2016, I was absolutely stoked. It sounded like my dreams of Pop Punk were coming to fruition. Heavy, catchy and sad. Couldn't ask for more. Then they delivered two absolute bangers for singles, Step Aside and Water Weight. Then they put out their self titled full length and if I still had a walk-man, I'd have burnt that CD out by now. Now comes September 2019. One of the best unknown bands, signs to Pure Noise Records. This could either be good or bad for a band like Belmont. They could have "sold out" (as much as you can on an indie label) and shifted their sound up and go the "over produced" pop punk route. But instead, these absolute Pop Punk geniuses put out "By My Side" and I got a chance to catch it live, in Cologne, Germany. Holy Shit did they not disappoint.
But let me get to Reflections.
Somewhere along the line Belmont decided Hardcore, Math Rock, and Pop Punk wasn't enough. They decided to put Hip-Hop in their repertoire too. Calling on some Bad Brains influence too, with some PMA. Positive Mental Attitude. First lines in Reflections say "Keep yourself fed with the right mindset." Damn these guys nailed it too. They're not doing Hip-Hop like Falling in Reverse, they're taking the beats and slamming them headfirst into your headphones. And it fucking rips. Catchy as hell, heavy as hell, positive as hell, emo as hell.
Dead Weight. Another absolute jam. For Taz Johnson to say he's searching for words he can't find in the second track on reflections is mind blowing to me, because he seems to be hitting all the right syllables in their second EP.
Stay Up showcases Brian Lada, probably top 3 drummers in Pop Punk right now. The dude is a power house. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he had 4 arms and 3 feet. He's absolutely the glue in Belmont. He brings the Hip-Hop elements to life, drives the hardcore breakdowns like no other, and is able to reel it back in when songs hit their bridges. Johnson has a way of stringing syllables together like the best of them. That's not to take away from guitarist Sam Patt and bassist Alex Wierigna. The Math Rock elements of every track keep you reaching for your volume knob.
Hideout is as dynamic as a Pop Punk song comes. It slows you down and has one of the most perfect verses I've heard in Pop Punk for years. "Even though I now it's probably just the drugs that help," have me hitting repeat, and after I'm done singing along, I can turn it up again and listen to Lada absolutely shred the verse and then turn around and murder the outro. Pretty easy to tell, Hideout is probably my favorite track off the album. Until you hear the beginning of...
Move Along because it is classic Belmont. 2 seconds thinking this song might be calm, and then the entire band hits at once with Johnson pouring his heart out through the microphone. Sam Patt's guitar work is on full display in Move Along. He's all over the place (in the best of ways,) with pinch harmonics, hammer-ons, and some serious melody.
The EP closes with Back and Forth. Probably the most straight forward Punk song on the EP. THe hammering snare in the verse, the metronome of palm mutes, and lyrics about being "Dead Wrong." Then, you get to the end. Where they trick you into a soft outro, and show just how dynamic they are. Slow emo? Into an electronic beat? Then that HEAVY bass, all building for about 2 minutes ending a piece of art the way it should be ended.
I'm so glad these guys didn't go straight into writing a full length album when they signed to a big label like a lot of bands do. They put their song writing and breadth of musical prowess on display in this EP like absolute professionals. I'm glad they used no filler (I'm looking at you Welcome to Bangkok.) If they keep on like this, they'll be around the scene for years. I'm going to go waste some of my own time listening to Reflections on repeat.
But let me get to Reflections.
Somewhere along the line Belmont decided Hardcore, Math Rock, and Pop Punk wasn't enough. They decided to put Hip-Hop in their repertoire too. Calling on some Bad Brains influence too, with some PMA. Positive Mental Attitude. First lines in Reflections say "Keep yourself fed with the right mindset." Damn these guys nailed it too. They're not doing Hip-Hop like Falling in Reverse, they're taking the beats and slamming them headfirst into your headphones. And it fucking rips. Catchy as hell, heavy as hell, positive as hell, emo as hell.
Dead Weight. Another absolute jam. For Taz Johnson to say he's searching for words he can't find in the second track on reflections is mind blowing to me, because he seems to be hitting all the right syllables in their second EP.
Stay Up showcases Brian Lada, probably top 3 drummers in Pop Punk right now. The dude is a power house. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he had 4 arms and 3 feet. He's absolutely the glue in Belmont. He brings the Hip-Hop elements to life, drives the hardcore breakdowns like no other, and is able to reel it back in when songs hit their bridges. Johnson has a way of stringing syllables together like the best of them. That's not to take away from guitarist Sam Patt and bassist Alex Wierigna. The Math Rock elements of every track keep you reaching for your volume knob.
Hideout is as dynamic as a Pop Punk song comes. It slows you down and has one of the most perfect verses I've heard in Pop Punk for years. "Even though I now it's probably just the drugs that help," have me hitting repeat, and after I'm done singing along, I can turn it up again and listen to Lada absolutely shred the verse and then turn around and murder the outro. Pretty easy to tell, Hideout is probably my favorite track off the album. Until you hear the beginning of...
Move Along because it is classic Belmont. 2 seconds thinking this song might be calm, and then the entire band hits at once with Johnson pouring his heart out through the microphone. Sam Patt's guitar work is on full display in Move Along. He's all over the place (in the best of ways,) with pinch harmonics, hammer-ons, and some serious melody.
The EP closes with Back and Forth. Probably the most straight forward Punk song on the EP. THe hammering snare in the verse, the metronome of palm mutes, and lyrics about being "Dead Wrong." Then, you get to the end. Where they trick you into a soft outro, and show just how dynamic they are. Slow emo? Into an electronic beat? Then that HEAVY bass, all building for about 2 minutes ending a piece of art the way it should be ended.
I'm so glad these guys didn't go straight into writing a full length album when they signed to a big label like a lot of bands do. They put their song writing and breadth of musical prowess on display in this EP like absolute professionals. I'm glad they used no filler (I'm looking at you Welcome to Bangkok.) If they keep on like this, they'll be around the scene for years. I'm going to go waste some of my own time listening to Reflections on repeat.
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