Rival Town - Make It Work

1. Closer

2. Subjective

3. Shot Down

4. Open Windows

5. See Through

6. Untitled

Rival Town have released their third album titled "Make It Work." This album is one that follows the bands previous as far as style and sound. These guys have pretty much a throwback sound to the early to mid 2000's pop punk and we love it. These guys have a similar sound to that of Cute Is What We Aim For and Hit The Lights, so if you like those artists, you could really like this new album. They have done a solid job here. When looking at the recording quality, the album has been recorded to a fairly decent standard. The instrumentation isn't bad but it is nothing to really raise an ear to. The band can certainly play well though. Now onto the vocals and lyrics, the vocals on this album are nice and clear so you can tell just what the vocalist is saying. Unfortunately the vocals don't sound like they have been recorded to the best quality but not bad all in all. With the lyrics, the band goes for messages of  relationships gone wrong, trying to find meaning in life and just the things young people deal with. This album seems like the lyricist is having a bit of trouble with girls and life. We know a lot of people can certainly relate to these lyrics and we like the route they took with them. If you are looking for a single to this album, give the song "Closer" your attention as we feel this best captures what the album is as a whole. Rival Town have made an album here that really shows off everything that this band is. They have something here that could make a lot of people react positively to them. With a tweak on the vocal effects, this could be a perfect album. We like it. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think of it.

Genre: Pop Punk/Punk/Rock

Release Date: October 20th, 2017

Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario

Label: Manic Kat Records

Rival Town - Deadlines & Milestones

1. Twenty Years

2. Lie To Me

3. Potential

4. Runner Up

Rival Town have released their debut album titled "Deadlines & Milestones." This album has a very Pop Punk feel to it. Although the band seems to mix both the new pop punk style with the older, more pop driven style. The band has a similar style to that of Hit The Lights or maybe even City Lights, so if you like those bands, you could really like this album. They have done an alright job on this album. When looking at the recording quality of this album, it could certainly use some work. The album overall could be louder and the vocals could be as well. The instrumentation on this album is not bad, nothing special here, but the band can play. Now onto the vocals and the lyrics, the vocals on this album just sound weird. We are not a fan of the way the vocalist sings and his voice, it actually gets annoying and sounds off key at times. With the lyrics, the band targets subjects about being lied to, not being chosen by the girls and what life could be like in the future. These are subjects a lot of bands hit in their songs. A little more varied song subjects could help. If you are looking for a single to this album, give the song "Twenty Years" your attention as it best showcases this album as a whole. Rival Town have made a debut album that shows you the type of band these guys want to be. You can see the potential in the band and we hope they progress and really turn this into something. Good job for a debut. Listen to this album to decide for yourself what you think about it.

Genre: Pop Punk/Punk/Rock

Release Date: June 23rd, 2015

Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario

Label: None