No Matter – Excess Baggage CD (Umlaut Records)

No Matter is a melodic pop-punk from Belfast, Ireland with several albums published so far. The band has been active since 2010, with a number of releases behind them, such as the official Demo, Fidge EP, Drop The Act CD and Ill Advised CD, with Excess Baggage being their brand new release which has been released for Umlaut Records. According to their Facebook page, the band had the privilege to perform with some notable acts such as NOFX, The Descendents, Millencolin, Anti Flag, Runnin Riot, Gnarwolves, RVIVR, 999, D.O.A, Glen Matlock and Richie Ramone, to name a few. No Matter base their music on the classic punk rock sound with a lot of influences taken from a distinctive American pop-punk music, mostly performed by the punk rock bands who published their albums for record labels such as Fat Wreck Chords and Epitaph Records. Their music consists of classic melodic guitar riffs with a great rhythm section who are holding their cool ideas together. Dual vocals comprised of both female and male vocals are a gamechanger, with male vocals being slightly dominant, but they both sound great and fit nicely to the music. Unlikely for the rest of the pop-punk scene, No Matter are playing with various rhythms, so their music is much more dynamic than the rest of the band I’ve had a chance to review. Faster tunes are great representatives of their fondness for skatepunk music, but the band is not stopping there. Presence of some hardcore punk arrangements is more than hearable, so you’ll quite enjoy in their new recordings. If you’re looking for some edgy pop-punk music with some influences taken from both skatepunk and hardcore punk scenes than Excess Baggage is a great starter for you. Excess Baggage is available as a CD at Umlaut Records and as a digital release at bands bandcamp page.