[REVIEW] The Wonder Years – Suburbia: I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing

The Wonder Years

Suburbia: I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing

Hopeless Records/No Sleep Records

Release: June 14^th, 2011

Philadelphia’s pop punk kings, The Wonder Years, are back with a follow up to their genre defining classic The Upsides, which was released last year.  The band is back in full force and has certainly come out swinging.  The record almost feels like a sequel in the way you notice references aplenty to the previous record.  Allen Ginsberg’s “America” is the common theme here, just like line “I’m not sad anymore” was to The Upsides.  Dan “Soupy” Campbell’s witty lyrics are just as clever as they were on previous releases, however the rest of the band has stepped their instrumental game up.

“Came Out Swinging” is a great opener for the album and is very powerful, knocking the listener back into their seat.  You can hear a tastefully placed melody from “My Last Semester” during the bridge of the song.  The first released song, “Local Man Ruins Everything”, is a standout on the album for its’ absolutely infectious chorus and gang vocal sing along.  The song sounds larger than life with the strong geoup chants of “I don’t have roses in the closet, but I got pictures in a drawer.  It takes everything left in me not to look at them anymore.”

A couple of the real standout tracks on this album are the one-two punch of “My Life as a Pigeon” and “Summers in PA”.  The speedy riffs and drums of the former are sure to ensue circle pits, as the band is on board for the whole 2011 Van’s Warped Tour.  The latter is an incredibly catchy track.  It also features guest vocals during the bridge from both Alan and Dan of pop punk heavyweights, Four Year Strong.

My favorite track on Suburbia is “Hoodie Weather”.  It is a hometown song that deals with issue of deciding if leaving home is really worth it.  Although your not always happy or proud of everything that may happen or represent your town, you will always have a special place for your hometown.  I believe that the song has the strongest chorus of the whole record, along with some of the best verses Soupy has written.  “And Now I’m Nothing” is a gorgeous closer that puts the whole record in perspective.  It is the longest song on the release and closes out with a phenomenal instrumental section.

It is quite evident that The Wonder Years know what their doing.  They have crafted their own original sound and have consistently improved different aspects of their music with every release.  Although they are not yet as big as bands like New Found Glory or Four Year Strong, they are quickly climbing the ladder.  They are with no question the hottest band in the genre right now and they deserve all the success and critical acclaim that is coming their way.

Review By Chris Bongiovanni