Artist: The Appreciation Post
Album: Work/Sleep
Genre: Pop Rock
Label: Self-released

Massachusetts seems to be future home of the underground music scene and rightfully so. Over the past year, while we receive hundreds of requests for coverage, we’ve consistently found bands from MA with a lot to offer [or at least talk about]. A perfect example of this being Boston’s synth rock based The Appreciation Post whose self released new album Work/Sleep is currently available for free on the band’s Bandcamp.

Tongue-in-cheek lyrics deliciously covered in synth driven rock laced with powerpop chords drives Work/Sleep throughout its duration. “The Beating of a Lifetime” and “I’m No Sure Thing” introduces the masses to the results of this concoction of catchy hooks and toe-tapping rhythms. The easy-going swagger of the vocals on nearly every track really gives the band a feel of their own. “Doom & Gloom”, a simplistic track about being sad, is given a wonderfully intoxicating hook and one of the most ambitiously successful song structures I’ve seen in the genre since Say Anything’s Is a Real Boy. Finally, things come to a close with a solid one-two pop punk punch between “Fear of Loss” which radiates with Get Up Kids influences and early millennium Drive-Thru feel of “Moving Backwards.”

By taking chances with an all too common sound The Appreciation Post are quickly making a name for themselves outside of the greater-Boston area. Work/Sleep is a promising and creative record that shows some people still like to experiment when it comes to pop rock. I wouldn’t be surprised to see these guys swept up by some rising label like Doghouse in the coming months, so get on this free release while you can!

Score: 8.5/10
Review written by: James Shotwell

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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