Wish Upon A Star – This Is War 12” EP (The Lab Records / Mantra Records)

Wish Upon A Star is a marvelous melodic punk rock quartet arising from Athens, Greece. I’ve had the fortune to experience their music live at the Exit festival two years ago, and despite performing for only a handful of peeps in the crowd, they certainly left an indelible mark with their tremendous performance. The band is pretty much active over a decade, with a couple of records scattering both in physical and digital form. They’ve managed to publish a debut full-length record named Sincerity In Every Chord in 2010, Something To Hold Onto that has been released on compact disc by World’s Appreciated Kitsch in 2012 and Through Thick And Thin that has been released on compact disc in cooperation between labels such as By The Lab Records, Keep It A Secret Records and No Reason Records in 2015. This Is War is their latest offering to the wider audiences that will cheer up older fans of this group, and gather some new ones along the way. This particular material offers six powerful melodic punk rock songs saturated with magnificent production. Wish Upon A Star continues at the same pace as on their previous recordings, so gracious fusion of catchy skate punk sound and melodic hardcore aesthetics is still their weapon of choice. However, Wish Upon A Star drenches this mix with additional experimentations, mainly comprised of various elements of post-hardcore, rock’n’roll, alternative, and indie sound. Still, Wish Upon A Star dominantly keep their signature moves upfront, while these elements are only decorating certain arrangements. The entire material has been improved by excellent arrangements that are uplifting dynamics on so many levels. These arrangements have been thoughtfully incorporated to perfectly accompany the aforementioned enhancing elements, so This Is War appears as a smoothly orchestrated punk rock machinery. From thoughtful melodic dualities on both guitars and notable basslines to remarkable drumming performances, Wish Upon A Star demonstrates magnificent musicianship through six powerful numbers. I had a hard time choosing personal faves, so I declare the entire recording as one big highlight in my book. This Is War serves as a brilliant cross-section of Greek melodic punk rock, so if you’re a newbie to this distinctive scene, do yourself a favor and pick Wish Upon A Star as a perfect starting point. This Is War comes in some eye-appealing bundle loaded with the shirt, tote bag, pin, vinyl, and compact disc, but you can score these things separately as well. This record has been published in a collaboration between The Lab Records and Mantra Records, so check out their sites for more detailed info. Make sure to visit Wish Upon A Star Bandcamp page to grasp these gems and support the work of this outstanding Greek punk rockers.