No, This Is Patrick!
Right out of Nashville, Tennessee, arriving just in the nick of time to stem the tide of boredom, is pop-punk/easycore outfit No, This Is Patrick! with their debut self-titled album, on Valinor Records.
No, This Is Patrick!
Formed in 2016, No, This Is Patrick! is made up of Andrew Dorn (lead vocals), Matt Isaacs (guitar, screams), Sean Naples (guitar), Truman House (drums), and Henry House (bass).
The band describes their sound, saying, “No, This Is Patrick! are a heavy pop-punk band from Nashville, TN that make music which combines influences from classic pop- punk, to modern easycore, to progressive heavy bands and more. The band released a short EP, This Is Not Ideal, in mid-2017.”
Encompassing 10-tracks, the album starts off with “Where’s The Giant, Mansley?!,” a song described on the band’s Facebook page as “One of the first songs written for this band, right after 'Storm Coming? Hatchet Coming!.’ The basic instrumental has remained almost exactly the same as when Sean first demoed it, but now with the amazing intricacy of Truman's drumming and super melodic grooves from Henry. From the beginning of working out lyrics Matt wanted to make the song about all the roadblocks we've faced and our eagerness to show everyone what we're capable of. Andrew really brought this concept to life, and we always knew that this would be the first single and the first track on the record, so Truman recorded this one first. It gets one simple message across: Let's get this show on the road!”
I love the drums on this track, potent, and whack-a-jack full of scrumptious fills.
“Where’s The Giant, Mansley?!” opens on grinding, growling guitars flowing into a muscular pop-punk melody riding a grand rhythm. I love the drums on this track, potent, and whack-a-jack full of scrumptious fills. Stuttering guitars infuse the tune with a nuclear galloping resonance akin to metalcore. Tasty stuff! A creamy smooth breakdown shifts the harmonic pressure from heavy to elegant, and then ramps back up to mega-levels.
From a purely subjective perspective, highlights on the album include “Alas, Earwax,” opening on a great drum intro and then seguing to powerful guitars rife with gleaming energy. Dorn’s voice is perfect for pop-punk, a little raspy, a little angsty, and powerful as all get-out. The chorus on this song radiates thick layers of splendidly coruscating flavors.
“Come Around” unseals a blazing drum fill and flows into a shimmering wall-of-sound pop-punk number. A stellar guitar solo, tight and aflame kicks the harmonics in the ass, as superb vocal harmonies imbue the tune with marvelous sonic textures.
“Buttz Carlton” starts off with cavernously heavy guitars, like the intro to a doom metal track, and then transitions to machine-gun rapidity. Powerful vocals flavor the lyrics with intoxicating tones, sonorous and just a little prickly.
“More Than Words” is a galvanizing pop-punk cover of Extreme’s sentimental love song. The final track, “Tornado,” pumps out brawny pop-punk momentum, along with impressive vocals, as Dorn struts his range and projection.
Candidly, there isn’t a sub-par track on this album. No, This Is Patrick! is a superlative album, and the band flat-out crushes it. Don’t miss this one!
