WRITE THIS DOWN Album Review

Write This Down – Lost Weekend

Tooth & Nail, May 2012

7/10

Hailing from right here in Minneapolis, Write This Down is back with their second full-length album on Tooth & Nail. Their sound isn’t easy to pigeonhole, but calling them punk-influenced hard rock is as close as I can get. Most songs on Lost Weekend feature slow, heavy riffs and rough vocals intertwined with sensible melodies and clean singing that sounds whiney at times. Calling Write This Down metal is a little bit of a stretch, but there are things to admire here if you’re a punk fan. Tooth & Nail is potentially sitting on an album that could blow up into mainstream success. The catchy, instantly likable melodies of the title track and “I’ll Make You Famous” could easily cross over into multiple radio formats, and even the depressing, morose ballad “Cheap Affairs” can pull the heartstrings of nearly anyone. Vocalist Johnny Collier sings from the heart, and his “Dear Diary”, confessional lyrics will have teenage girls weeping with joy. Don’t get the impression that Lost Weekend is radio fluff, though, as most songs such as “The Older I Get, The Better I Was”, “Touch And Go”, and “Red 7” contain some serious, molten riffs. In a nod to their homes, Write This Down throw in some proud references to Minneapolis at the end of the album on “Song And Dance” and “Minnesota Interlude”. I probably wouldn’t choose to review Lost Weekend if the band wasn’t from Minneapolis, but I have to admit that I find the album really enjoyable to listen to despite Write This Down not really being metal. The bottom line is that if you like the sort of pop-punk-emo rock that Victory and Tooth & Nail frequently release than you will want to learn about Write This Down real quick.

Write This Down will perform tonight, Tuesday, July 10 at Station 4 in St. Paul with support from Red Moring Voyage, Harp & Lyre, Awaken, Imagine The Silence, and Sick Of Talking About It. This is an early, all ages show and cover charge is $10 at the door.