Album Review: Daytrader - Twelve Years

Album Rating: B

Rise Records has made some surprisingly good signings in the past year or so.  With bands like Cheap Girls, Hot Water Music, and now New York’s Daytrader, the label is slowly restoring its credibility that has been tainted due to an excess of generic, overproduced metalcore (Risecore) acts.  Though Daytrader’s Rise Records debut displays a disappointing refinement of the band’s edgy sound, Twelve Years still bombards the listener with a barrage of catchy hooks, featuring one of the best vocal performances of 2012 thus far.  Yes, the band’s punk elements have been dialed back to make way for a more direct alternative rock sound, but Daytrader still manage to pack a decent-sized punch thanks to crystal clear production on behalf of Mike Sapone (Crime in Stereo, Brand New, Taking Back Sunday).

New Muzik Monday: April 2, 2012

March may have been a slow month for music, but here are three standout 2012 hardcore and punk albums that you shouldn't miss, as well as a brief preview of Daytrader's new album due to be released on May 8.

Pentimento/Young English – Split

This is a very exciting release for these two young NY emotional punk bands.  Both Pentimento’s Wrecked, and Young English’s I Hate My Friends showed promise, but left room for improvement in the future.  Simply calling the four new respective tracks from each band an “improvement” would be an understatement, and a rather large one at that.  The songwriting maturity featured on each half of the split is unrivaled by other bands in the genre.  Each side is littered with unforgettable moments, like the melodic “breakdown” (if you will), in “No Apology,” and the infectious hook in “So Long, Connecticut.”  

Stream the whole split!

Artist Spotlight: Daytrader

Pop punk is a genre notorious for oversaturation. Simple, fun, and tolerable to the huge portion of the populous who only listen to Top 40, it is an ideal genre for young bands. Thus, countless cookie cutter pop punk bands with no talent have flooded the scene in recent years and done a good job at giving pop punk a bad name. However, one benefit of such a terrible scene is that those with talent truly shine. Brooklyn, NY natives Daytrader are one of the rare exceptions, and Run For Cover Records was quick to catch them on their way up.