REVIEW: Light Years – ‘I Won’t Hold This Against You’

Artist: Light Years
Album: I Won’t Hold This Against You
Genre: Pop-punk
Label: Paper+Plastick

Light Years‘ brand new record and Paper + Plastick debut, I Won’t Hold This Against You is an insatiable dose of satisfying pop punk. From the in-your-face shredding opener, “Uphill Battle,” to the self-titled, powerful closer, “I Won’t Hold This Against You,” this Cleveland-based group has written a record for pop-punk lovers old and new.

That’s right, I Won’t Hold This Against You is the type of pop-punk fans have grown to love over the years. It is honest, transparent and blasting. The record contains songs that hold the tone and attitude of an early-mid 2000’s pop-punk act, while still stirring elements around enough to stay relevant in 2013. For example, the track “Deadlines” explodes with a passive aggressive nature that can easily fall into comparison to an early number from the days of The JV Allstars. Diversity is also shown on I Won’t Hold This Against You, with the standout number, “Hindsight.”

“Hindsight” falls at the perfect time in the record-at eight tracks in it comes off as a calming breeze from the heat wave of blasting guitars and angst preceding it. It seems as though on this particular track Light Years leaned away from New Found Glory and more towards a Third Eye Blind influence. With a calming melody and backbone of soothing acoustic guitar, “Hindsight” comes off as a strong contender for a summer 2013 anthem.

Lyrically, I Won’t Hold This Against You contains down to earth and undeniable moments of reflect. “Parking Lots” is an especially truthful cut, bellowing, “I remember it when all those nights that we didn’t care if we even lived to tell our stories for another year.” Light Years capture the lyrical essence of pop-punk, giving listeners something to grab on and shout along to as VFW buildings across the country. I Won’t Hold This Against You is a record deserving of those VFW shouts.

Check out the music video for “Parking Lots” here:

Rating: 8/10
Review written by: Matthew Leimkuehler

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