Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 10/07/2008
Given their emo-pop songcraft and powerhouse female vocals, it's hard
not to draw parallels between
Hey Monday and
Paramore.
Cassadee Pope is the band's centerpiece, howling lovelorn lyrics with all the marketable grit of
Hayley Williams while her bandmates pummel through power chords and group singalongs.
Paramore's platinum-selling
Riot! incorporated elements of hard rock, but
Hey Monday go for a sweeter approach, peppering their debut album with chunks of teenaged bubblegum pop coated in guitar distortion.
Hold on Tight also benefits from the presence of
S*A*M & Sluggo, the veteran production team that scored hit singles with
Cobra Starship's
"Snakes on a Plane" and
Metro Station's
"Shake It." Writing in tandem with those producers (as well as guest collaborators
Butch Walker and
William Beckett),
Hey Monday come up with a number of radio-worthy pop anthems:
"Homecoming," whose guitar intro borrows from
"Hazy Shade of Winter";" "Set Off," an us-against-the-world dose of adrenaline; and the album's undisputed highlight,
"How You Love Me Now." With massive "woah-oh!" vocals and a major key, sky-scraping melody,
"How You Love Me Now" is the sort of guilty pleasure that inspires teens to roll down their car windows and adults to crank the stereo when no one's around. There's certainly some filler here, particularly toward the album's conclusion, but
Hold on Tight is still stacked with enough T.G.I.F. nuggets to make it an endearing, engaging debut.
~Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
Average Review:
Number of reviews: 2
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A reviewer
from Virginia
Hold on tight
This CD is sooo good. I can see where they would be related to Paramore, but they are a different band completely. Their songs are relatable and the vocals of the lead singer are amazing. Candles is one of my favorites on here.
A reviewer
from Albany, NY
Awesome
Hold on Tight is full of great songs by a great band. I'd recommend the CD to anyone who likes Paramore or any of the Fueled by Ramen labelmates.
;)
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