No Pressure – No Pressure EP

This material is, what I truly believe, a self-titled debut EP by No Pressure, a brand new trio fronted by Cannon Parker. Cannon Parker is known as a lead vocalist for a renowned pop-punkers The Story So Far, but also of Snarl, a short-lived hardcore band. I was a bit skeptical about this one, mainly because I thought it would sound entirely the same as The Story So Far, but luckily enough, I was wrong. Alongside Cannon Parker, No Pressure comprises of Pat Kennedy on guitars and Harry Corrigan behind the drum kit. Visually appealing illustration resembles artworks heavily popularized during the mid-nineties, but their sound offers more than a simplistic take on melodic punk rock music.

This self-titled debut offers five compelling pop-punk compositions, stacked up with some skate punk aesthetics and hardcore punk dynamics. The base is ultimately mellow sounding because of heavily polished production, but the complete recording unveils appealing skate punk structures decorated with a profoundly dynamic drumming performance. Still, No Pressure focuses on contemporary pop-punk trends and applies those polyphonous maneuvers throughout the entire material. Guitar shreds are providing cleverly assembled chord progressions, pervaded by palm-muted segments, semi-melancholic melodies, delicate thematics, and other appealing guitar licks. Both guitars are continuously fighting for dominance, while the basslines are supporting these maneuvers with warm-sounding tones somewhere in the very background.

Drumming performance carries all the dynamics of No Pressure, and it seems that the foundations of this group are deeply rooted in the relentless energy of hardcore punk music. Despite a couple of slightly slower compositions, No Pressure tends to demonstrate a more energetic side of pop-punk music through profoundly fast numbers that don’t exceed two and a half minutes each. Cooper’s high-pitched vocals are helping out with the dynamics of the entire group, and his powerful voice decorates every segment of this interesting recording. At certain moments, No Pressure almost mimics the sound of some renowned groups such as Knuckle Puck, Pour Habit, Shook Ones, older recordings by Blink 182 and Sum 41, but I guess that’s wasn’t their sole intention. This recording nurtures a faster approach to modern pop-punk music, backed up with hearable cameos of both contemporary skate punk and hardcore punk sounds.

This recording is currently available at all streaming services, and I sincerely hope this material will receive a well-deserved vinyl treatment, mainly because of its immeasurable quality and brilliant artwork. Until then, head over to their Bandcamp or Spotify pages and give them a try.