Grungy guitar tones and post-hardcore-styled vocals are the primary sonic traits found in the music of Westpoint. Just imagine a combination of early Seaweed, Farside, and Supertouch. Does that sound up your alley?
On their newly-released debut album, Westpoint offers up 10 tracks that waste no time with forced atmospheric sections or other unnecessary arrangement clichés that many other groups of their ilk fall victim to. Instead, the Kingston, PA band concentrates on delivering short (every track comes in under the three-minute mark) and sharp songs that are padded with plenty of vocal and guitar riff hooks.
The production on the album is as raw as the guitars that appear on it. Word is that Wespoint tracked the entire thing "in a living room, a storage unit, and a basement." The choice to go D.I.Y. on the recording sessions serves the material on the album well, resulting in a sound that mirrors the emotionally-charged vocals (think a less gruff Hot Water Music).
I'm a mark for this kind of music. I'll always be loyal to the aforementioned bands in this review, but I want to stress that you don't have to be someone in my age group to appreciate what Westpoint is doing here. Songs like "Jamais Vu," "In My Way," and "Tangerine" have a timeless charm to them, and that's never exclusive to a specific scene or genre style.
Get It
- Triple-B Records (LP)
- Bandcamp (mp3)
