REVIEW: Forever Came Calling – ‘What Matters Most…’

October 16th, 2014

Matthew Leimkuehler

Artist: Forever Came Calling
Album: What Matters Most…
Genre: Pop Rock, Pop-Punk
Label: Pure Noise Records

Forever Came Calling‘s sophomore effort, What Matters Most, is a blistering and dynamic effort of pure emotion — a testimony delivered by a band that deserves to be the next biggest act in pop-punk.

The record could easily be categorized as a form of lost art, a beginning-to-end piece of balanced work that fails to lose momentum or vigor throughout its entire duration. It’s the type of record bands in the scene were producing years ago. It’s not laced with singles and filled with half-hearted efforts. Every song hits as hard as the last, and that’s why it’s a piece of lost art. Every song contains the unabridged transparency fans of this scene both want and deserve in a record — there are no lackadaisical moments and that is worth a grand celebration.

What Matters Most contains everything listeners want from a good rock record: a mind-numbing introduction song, the soft serenading of an acoustic track in the middle, and the heart-felt and contemplative closer number — with every driven and emotional line in between. Songs like the lead single “Indebted,” or the classic pop-punk number “Rather Be Dead Than Cool,” contain choruses that explode in elegance and melody. It’s like every chorus on this record has a pop gleam with a punk punch in the gut.

The record even slows down as fan-favorite acoustic track “Endangered Innocence” found its way onto the record. This number provides a much-needed and appropriate break from every other high-octane number on the record. The beautiful and swaying number is worthy of Taking Back Sunday’s “New American Classic.” A satisfying number. The band keeps the energy level at a 10 out of 10 on the second half of the record with tracks like “Spanish Mother’s (I Just Miss)” and “Wish You Well.” “Spanish Mother’s” shows the outright lyrical transparency that is thematic throughout the entirety of the record.

Forever Came Calling’s What Matters Most… is one of the most important records to be released in the scene in recent memory. It proves that bands do still care about a complete album — a front-to-back success. Each track contains this essence of brutal emotion that begs for fans to latch on to every word. It oozes purity and perfection from each passionate verse and chorus. It’s the type of record so creatively and perfectly crafted that it should be celebrated for years to come. Embrace one of the most prolific and complete records this scene has heard this decade with Forever Came Calling’s latest release.

In “Substances,” singer Joe Candelaria asks the listener if he or she finds him relevant — and Joe, I couldn’t find you, or your band’s record, more relevant.

SCORE: 10/10
Review written by Matthew Leimkuehler (@callinghomematt)