Album Review: First Date With Imposter Syndrome by High Visions

High Visions are a three piece pop/skate punk band from Leeds. Featuring Louis on guitar and vocals, Zyggy on bass and vocals and Alex on drums, the band recently released their third EP on the newly formed INiiT Records. Titled A First Date With Imposter Syndrome, this was my first exposure to the band and I was quickly impressed.

When I’m Dead, Just Throw Me In The Trash kicks off the EP. The first thing that struck me about the song was the brilliant contrasting vocals from Louis and Zyggy. Trading between gruff and clean vocals immediately gave the song a lot of energy that I loved. They also made me keen to see the band live and to have the opportunity to sing the track back at the band. The song is about the frustration of being stuck in a rut and not knowing where you are going in life. Up next is the song Checkpoint Charlie. This song starts in an aggressive fashion with the gruffer vocal being more dominant before we reach the chorus which is super poppy. It quickly finds a comfortable spot in your head and you’ll be singing along before the track finishes. The track is about finding yourself at a crossroad in your life and trying to work out the next move you make.

Anywhere // Anyone sees High Visions plant their flag firmly in pop punk territory. The song is packed with introspective lyrics, fantastic melodies, harmonies and a chorus that’s ridiculously catchy. It’s about being in a relationship and constantly trying to prove that you deserve to be with them. The penultimate track is named Isolated, Unstable, Disillusioned. On this track High Visions tackle the subject of mental health and more specifically questioning why are you suffering and will it ever change. The song takes you on a journey – the opening couple of verses I found completely captivating before the track transitions into a heavier section which features some great shredding and some much more intense vocals. I feel like the series of highs and lows that the song takes you on is a metaphor for what it can be like to have mental health issues. The final song on the EP is My True North. The track begins slowly with just guitar and vocals for the first two verse, before the whole band comes in and sets up a big and emotional finale. This is a powerful way to finish the EP and will leave you in no doubt of what a good band High Visions are.

A First Date With Imposter Syndrome is INiiT Records’ first physical release and really sets the benchmark extremely high for future releases. High Visions blend together skate and pop punk effortlessly and offers enough for fans of both genres to get really invested in this EP. Fantastic work.

Stream and download First Date With Imposter Syndrome on Bandcamp here.

Like High Visions on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.