Record Thieves – Wasting Time LP (Thousand Islands Records)

Today we’re covering a debut full-length record by Record Thieves, a brand new melodic punk rock quintet emanating from Denver, Colorado. Perhaps the group is relatively new, but the members are renowned musicians who’re also involved in Boldtype, Allout Helter, and Authority Zero. Therefore, you can expect nothing but outstanding musicianship showcased through various ear appealing maneuvers. This recording was promoted on social media for a couple of months, so no wonder why the admirers of skatepunk sound were so hyped about it. The broader audience had an opportunity to give it a taste through a series of singles such as Sacrifice, Work It Out, Wasting Time, which all received some positive feedback from the punk rock community.

Wasting Time contains eleven exceptionally performed melodic punk rock songs, thoroughly decorated by skillful musicianship and excellent arrangements. Record Thieves are basing their sound on polyphonous harmonizations, catchy thematics, and stable rhythmical maneuvers that will satisfy even the pickiest fans of a melodic punk rock sound. Besides profound explorations into the essentials of the nineties pop-punk, the group also incorporates notable dosages of skate punk and melodic hardcore acrobatics. This material represents a straight-up throwback into the golden era for all these beforementioned genres, empowered by some contemporary music production technics.

You may hear strong resemblances with some renowned groups like Millencolin, Face To Face, Rise Against, Pulley, Belvedere, and This Is A Standoff. Perhaps this blend may sound a bit strange, but Record Thieves are balancing between mellow pop-punk anthems performed in moderate tempos and nearly feral technically demanding melodic hardcore tunes with such ease. Whatever direction these experienced musicians may pick in particular moments, their musical appearance devotedly follows the aesthetics of the complete material. Guitars are constantly dueling for harmonious dominance through engaging riffages, thoughtfully arranged themes, and series of other marvelous orchestrations. In the meantime, the bass guitar punches somewhere from beneath with catchy basslines that are hearable throughout the entire record. Highly dynamic drumming performance holds a remaining portion of instruments in line through compelling rhythmical segments, accentuated by constant splashing over the cymbals. The vocals are layering these orchestrations with semi-melodic chants that are perfectly suiting the sound of the band.

Wasting Time is undoubtfully an outstanding debut that demonstrates bright ideas presented by experienced musicians who’re into melodic music for years. No matter if you’re a fan of pop-punk, skate punk, or melodic hardcore, you’ll enjoy this debut full-length. The album comes on vinyl in different variants such as opaque teal, orange with black smoke, and translucent white with splatters. There is also a limited edition of test pressings exclusively available at the Thousand Islands Records website, so pick up your favorite option and blast this album on a high volume.