The brilliantly named Watashi Wa Dance Party released a brand new EP titled Skate Pop Suicide on Hidden Home Records back in May. The four piece from San Diego formed in 2015 and Skate Pop Suicide is their sixth release already. The band are influenced by Southern California skate punk as well as Japanese punk rock or J-Punk. They seek to combine the two styles to create one of the most eclectic sounds of 2018. They have certainly been ambitious but is Skate Pop Suicide any good?
Skate Pop Suicide begins with the song Daylight. This is a delightful synth heavy power pop track. It's a short one with only four lines worth of lyrics. It's about how when it gets dark life isn't so good and being so happy and relieved to see the daylight again. The song is short and sweet and opens the EP up well. This is followed up by one of the EP's stand out tracks, Mio. It is an upbeat and catchy track. I loved the intricate and jangly guitars that fill the song with such a wonderful charm whilst the vocal delivery gives the track a poppier feel. Mio is an empowering song that encourages you to do what you love even though it might be scary not knowing what is around the corner. The third song on the EP is named Really Over. The first thing that caught my attention on the song is how the tempo seems to increase more and more as the song progresses. This gives a great feeling of urgency and intensity to a song that is about coming to terms with the breakup of a relationship.
Halle is a song where the guitar skills of AJ Peacock and Wade Morris really come to the forefront. Along with some more brilliant intricate and jangly riffs that litter the song, there is a superb guitar solo midway through Halle which really gives the song a big feeling. I'm far from an expert about J-Punk but I imagine this guitar work is influenced by the genre and is encouraging me to check out the scene. Particularly as we're off to Japan soon ourselves! The penultimate song on Skate Pop Suicide is titled Ruminating. I'm a massive ska fan so this was another stand out track. I was kind of reminded of Bomb The Music Industry here as it seems as if there is a chaotic approach to the structure of the song which really keeps the listener on their toes. Ruminating is about over thinking an incident and not being able to get over it. I really enjoyed the ska side of Watashi Wa Dance Party's sound and I hope they do more of this in the future. The EP is concluded with the song My Lava Lamp. This track is a huge contrast to Ruminating and in fact every other song on Skate Pop Suicide. This song has a much darker sound than I've come to expect. It's angsty and the inclusion of more synths give the song a nostalgic 80s feel amongst the crunching guitars. My Lava Lamp finishes the EP of with a bang.
Skate Pop Suicide is a fun little EP. Hidden Home Records have a gem on their hands here as Watashi Wa Dance Party are a brilliant and unique band that could easily grab the attention of many fans of punk rock.
Stream and download Skate Pop Suicide here: https://watashiwadanceparty.bandcamp.com/album/skate-pop-suicide-2
Like Watashi Wa Dance Party: https://www.facebook.com/watashiwadanceparty/
This review was written by Colin Clark.
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