James Herron is a multi-instrumentalist pop-punk aficionado, writing and performing stylistically engaging tunes across the pop-punk stratosphere, unapologetically and without reservation.
Counting the Days is Herron‘s debut release and sets a great standard for the genre, ticking all of the boxes of a solid pop-punk release; quick icon-style riffs, tonnes of snare, self-deprecating lyrics through whiney (good whiney) and well-harmonised, catchy vocals. Words & Sound is an excellent opener, grabbing attention through interesting flange effects and a catchy lead-line reminiscent of the ‘Blink-182 Enema of the State‘ era, with an ear-worm chorus to match.
Broken Record follows this theme with a chantier spin to the chorus, an easy-to-learn lyric recipe that presents itself in the bridge with an almost isolated vocal; one could imagine some brilliantly engaging crowd vocals at this point during a live performance (add to your to-do list post-lockdown: see James Herron live). Gone Away continues this very pop-punk theme of anthemic melodies and pleasing riffs but doesn’t stray much, neither positively nor negatively, from the previous two tracks.
My favourite song of the EP, December, is the closer. The song diverges from the traditional slightly while retaining the established rules of what makes a proficient pop-punk tune. We hear a more sombre tone to Herron‘s voice and the use of acoustic guitar at contrasting moments with heavier, louder electronic arrangements is really effective. Emphasis on Herron’s English accent can be heard more prevalently in Decembre too, which is a welcome break from Americanisms that seem to have become ingrained in the genre regardless of the vocalist’s regional dialect. December ends the EP a bit too quickly though, perhaps the release could have benefited from a wildcard solely acoustic or soft song toward the end to show off a bit more of Herron‘s capabilities and to pace the material out a bit.
In a genre that, (in my humble opinion as a fellow music listener), is generally becoming saturated and stale at the true grassroots level, Herron is a welcome break and shows real promise. While I would hope for more experimentation and a little more fearless divergence from the boundaries of pop-punk itself in his next release, James Herron’s debut has still risen above the mild frequencies of the genre and his goal of simply creating authentic, well-written music, presented with an ‘it is what it is’ attitude has caught my favour and landed him a spot on my playlists.
