ADTR Don't Let You Down

Homesick is the anthem the scene has been craving. In true A Day to Remember style, Homesick's breakdowns are creative and relentless, framed by tight verses and hooky choruses. The first track, "Downfall of Us All," unleashes an unfaltering energy. Its a-cappella intro timed with hand-clapping, builds anticipation (and participation) that inspires hardcore dancing in living rooms and air-drumming at stop lights. It's meant to fire you up. With Homesick, Jeremy McKinnon's singing is even more polished and the album is more brutal than Those Who Have Heart. A Day to Remember unite their fans with inclusive group vocals: an element of their multi-layered style. Alex Shellnut's drums are the backbone to this carnival that is re-defining a genre in a smarter direction without losing the emotion. Nostalgia-infused lyrics are peppered with sonic subtleties. Each song naturally flows with an unwavering momentum that is still present on the goose-bump-raising finale featuring Sierra Kisterbeck. With lip-biting crashes and head-banging break downs, Homesick is one of the most important releases in 2009. Yet as the boys sing in "You Already Know Who You Are," "Don't trust the critic. [S]he's a cynic. Make the call for yourself."

Gage Young Photography