In their sophomore EP ‘Deadweight’, Swansea-based five-piece Seven Stories High covers the tale of King Midas, but adapted to focus on the issue of mental health, told through all the elements we love most about Pop Punk.
The EP kicks off with ‘Apathy’, an incredibly energetic opening track which sets the pace for the tracks to come. The song’s intro is reminiscent of early All Time Low songs and is pretty much textbook Pop Punk with some raw, hoarse vocals, catchy riffs and feel-good melodies.
‘Midas’ is a little surprise on the EP. The track starts off with a slow, minimalistic intro with soft but powerful vocals which die down only to be followed by sudden heavy instruments, later broken up again by a calm bridge with drums slowly building up, leading to a full sound for the song to end on.
‘Deadweight’s closing track, ‘Alchemy Part I’, is probably the heaviest song on the EP with clear emo influences shining through, both in the music and vocal melodies. The lyrics used are also more emotional and they outline the futility of hope.
All the songs on ‘Deadweight’ flow together really well as one piece of music telling the band’s version of the myth of King Midas, who accidentally turned his daughter into gold. ‘Apathy’ sets the stage for the story, ‘Midas’ establishes King Midas as the antagonist, ‘Hoax’ draws parallels between Midas and God and how we don’t need to believe in a god to find purpose, ‘Alchemy Part I’ sees the king’s daughter move on, unforgiving but stronger for it.
However, the songs don’t just work together well as part of the story, but also as part of a well-rounded EP, showing us exactly why Pop Punk is still relevant and why Seven Stories High still deserves our attention.
Rating out of 10: 9/10
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