Know that once something enters our orbit in any kind of way (A band we’ve reviewed before, an artist we already dig, someone reached out and we like the sounds, etc…) it stays there for a long, long, LONG time regardless of if we get to it in a timely manner as our MANY open tabs can attest to (Seriously, there’s some at least 6+ month old ones up right now). That is, until we get around to covering finally and do the celebratory closing of tabs whilst donning party hats and eating cake (The last 2 bits are most likely not true). Today we’re doing just that since Lowell’s Escape Durgin has been on our radar since the stellar sounds of “Like Vultures” hit our desk mid-July (And yes, there have been tabs open related to the tune and social media pages since then) as part of their new full-length which arrived in mid-August (Read: Even more open tabs).
And what’s that certain something that’d cause us to stress the brainspace just a little bit more with a few more open tabs on the laptop? Well, if you were to take the best parts of the ’90’s Pop Punk resurgence (Your Enema Of The State‘s and Dookie‘s) and combine that with the emotive heft that Jimmy Eat World do so well along with the single-making sensibilities that Fall Out Boy brings to the table all under a modern Alternative Rawk aesthetic then you’d get a little idea of what Quinton Gibbons (Guitar, Vocals), Avery Stout (Drums), Sean Connors (Bass, Vocals), Michael Sirard (Guitar, Vocals) as Escape Durgin are up to.
“Poster Child” kicks things off and is like being transported to the glorious mid-aughts and many an Emo anthem found in the heyday of the OG Warped Tour era (Weird that there’s an “OG” version now, right???) with “Skin” really getting into it next with a six minute and change modern Alt Rawk epic that highlights the ED playing prowess and songwriting skills as airs of Sunny Day Real Estate run rampant throughout. The aforementioned “Like Vultures” stood out the first time we heard it as an advance single and here, within the Escape Durgin soundscape, the song sounds that much more sweeter with flowing vocals and guitar solos aplenty!
“Free Shipping” starts with a fervor of noise before Gibbons’ voice guides the way into a mellow Emo Pop Punk anthem followed by “Interlude” which may be just be a sonic palette cleansing but is also a nice reminder of the musicianship involved in putting together a successful Escape Durgin jam. “Standing in the Rain” is like a refined Husker Du mixed with Jimmy Eat World with the way it latches onto your earholes and never relents while “Grove Street” is another hidden epic within sitting at a hefty seven minutes and then some length with time and tonal changes galore for a truly BIG mammer jammer of a song just over the album’s halfway point.
“Pinewood Drive” gets back to the fast and furious (But in a nice way!) and sounds phenomenal and refreshing after the behemoth that preceded it with “9 Days” beginning surrounded by wailing guitars before a sturdy crunch from Connors’ bass and Stout’s drums temper the flow. “Going Back”is kind of that one ditty where you can tell the band is gearing up for a fantastic finale bringing a perfect penultimate number that just hits all the right notes (Otherwise it’d just sound wrong, right?) leading into “Change” and a strong end fueled by powerful prose, a driving low end and intricate licks.
Escape Durgin is out now and you can hear it immediately through your most favorite DSP’s, many of which can be found when clicking here. For more from Escape Durgin, including upcoming gigs and more, hit the trail of socials which are conveniently collected here.