Starving Arts are a three piece emotional pop punk band from Long Island, New York. On the 6th of October the band released their second EP named Funeral Days on Black Numbers Records. Long Island are churning out a lot of quality punk music at the moment so I was sure this would be another favourite from the big apple.
The opening song on Funeral Days is titled Shadow Of Doubt. When I first listened to the song I was immediately reminded of The Queers distinctive surf pop punk sound, you know what I mean, The Beach Boys meeting The Ramones. Gotta love that. The song is about struggling with anxiety and trying your best to get on with your life. I really enjoyed this song, I like the contrast in the cheery sound of the music and the sadness of the lyrics. The second song, Found Me Young is another incredibly sad song. It's about losing a loved one at a young age and how you go about dealing with that. The song is a mid-paced track that for the most part relies heavily on the strong lyrical content to really grab the listeners attention. That said there are some fantastic guitar parts that add a bit of light to an otherwise dark song. Next up is Bad Sign. I loved the guitar at the start of this track, there is a real sense of hope in its sound. This hope quickly vanishes though as we have a track about the bleakness of depression. It's actually kind of refreshing to hear a song about depression that isn't all "it's okay, everything will be happiness and rainbows and marshmallows" at the end. I feel like this song is more relatable for someone going through some dark times, sometime you don't want to hear everything will be okay, sometimes it's okay just to realise that you're not alone in feeling like you do. There is an extended guitar outro on the song which was perfect, it really allows you to take on board what has just been said. Last but not least is the song Nashville Moon. The song is slightly more up tempo than the previous three on Funeral Days and does signify a tiny bit of light at the end of the tunnel. It's about trying to move on with the next chapter in your life. There is a calming feeling thanks to the vocal delivery and soft harmonies in the chorus on "Tonight Under The Nashville Moon" which I adored. Punk doesn't always have to be brash, angry, snotty and in your face. In can also be lovingly crafted songs like this.
Funeral Days is a short and sweet EP. It has a unique sound that you don't hear with emo bands that really helps it to stand out from the crowd. Because of this it is well worth your time.
Stream and download Funeral Days here: https://starvingarts.bandcamp.com/
Like Starving Arts here: https://www.facebook.com/starvingarts/
This review was written by Colin Clark.
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