Any truly great music scene is going to work in a way that upon discovering one new band, you inevitably stumble onto 4-5 other bands related to, in the same central locale as, or sharing similar styles with the artist you started with. For this particular story, One Fall was the main artist in question and when we started delving into that tale ahead of their eventual rise through the Rock & Roll Rumble ranks of 2023 fellow Salem-based band, Oh The Humanity!, kept popping up.
Probably because, at the time, OTH!’s Kyle Paradis was helping out with live bass duties (As well as handling assorted mixing/engineering duties on their debut EP and follow-up Spine First! which Paradis played bass on in studio). It’s taken some time for us to arrive from Point A to Point B but with new full-length Ground To Dust, we’re finally coming around with the Oh The Humanity! love. And make no mistake, there’s a LOT to love on their newest release.
Raucous and rambunctious with these larger than life choruses and the kind of vibe that’d instantly gel within the classic Vans Warped Tour lineups from yesteryear (“Yesteryear” and “classic” + Warped is CRAZY to type, right???), Ground To Dust is a veritable anthem factory with an unequivocal mastery over the art of modern Pop-Punk. “Imposter Syndrome” is just the most classic kind of intro and one that sets up what’s to come with the atmosphere put forth before “Gutted” practically explodes out of that with an immediately memorable riff run from Christopher DiIeso and James Silvio and a drum barrage from Christopher Santoro while vocalist Kevin Athas belts out some powerful prose.
Lead single “Upper Riffspiratory Infection” is Pop Punk at its’ finest and something that’s sure to be an immediate crowd pleaser/favorite, “Worth Nothing” continues that trend and boasts an infectious chorus that fans will find themselves uncontrollably singing/screaming along to whenever played, and “Love Irresolute” shows off Silvio’s sick stick skills while delivering an epic chorus. Oh, you thought “Love Irresolute” didn’t show off those drums enough? Well, “Circumstances” is sure to help with that on an absolute rager that, when paired with Paradis’ low end is pretty undeniable.
“Blues” is anything but with a fast-paced banger that’s an unrelenting under two minute slab of sugary Pop Punk goodness and then “Never Do Another” is another that doesn’t let up (See a pattern at all yet???). “Last Gasp” begins the closing arc with Athas’ vocals at the forefront on an intimate and intricate ditty disguised as some everyday Punk Rawk with Silvio and Dileso bringing the shreds in a Maiden/NWOBHM kinda way on “Sirens”. The title track ties it all up with a nice little bow (Or bow depending on how you look at it) on an incendiary Heavy as Athas croons out lyrics like “I better be dying if I’m feeling this way” and Paradis, Santorp, Silvio, and Dileso combine forces like a Pop Punk Voltron for an unforgettable coda.
Ground To Dust is out now through Sell The Heart Records, Thousand Islands Records and Engineer Records and you can order (And save) your copy now in a variety of options which can be found here. For more from Oh The Humanity!, follow along via their socials across the interwebs when you click here or here.