A Time To Stand- Light Years LP (Keep It A Secret Records)

Here’s one release that has constantly been on my radar, but I never took a chance to listen to it properly. I was super busy doing so many reviews when this gem was released, and although I checked out a couple of the songs, I never managed time to appreciate this album. Thankfully, Keep It A Secret Records supplied me with a copy of Light Years, and I must admit A Time To Stand is one of those bands you don’t want to miss. These guys know how to get things done, and you’ll notice that as soon as you put a needle on this fine piece of plastic. Perhaps Light Years is their debut full-length record, but A Time To Stand also has some previous recordings like You Are Here EP, Torcher EP, and a split release with River Jumpers and The Walking Targets. They formed this band over a decade ago, and the years of experience are hearable on all these recordings. However, it seems none of these recordings match the brilliance of Light Years.

The first thing you’ll notice is a flawlessly illustrated sleeve. It’s unquestionably the one thing that will draw your attention and force you to purchase this record. Many things are going on on the front cover. It looks like a circular pile of leaves decorated with flawlessly illustrated dinosaurs, a guitar, amp, guitar pedal, gaming console, movie reel, VHS tape, Harry Potter book, etc. The inner sleeve carries the same aesthetics on one side, while the lyric sheet decorates the other. Also, a burgundy vinyl variant serves as a perfect contrast to the dominantly beige-colored cover artwork.

Light Years carries fourteen excellent compositions that span many subgenres of punk rock. Perhaps pop-punk comes to mind first, but you’ll hear some of the finest properties of skatepunk, melodic punk rock, melodic hardcore, hardcore punk, and easy core. These guys stacked this material with many impressive ideas, and there’s always exceptional musicianship to back them up. The cleverly assembled dualities between lead and rhythm guitars are the first thing you’ll notice while listening to Light Years. The lead delivers catchy themes, octaves, melodies, and harmonies, while the rhythm supports all these virtuosities with some powerful riffs. The warm-sounding basslines punch right from beneath, and everything is hearable and well-combined, so you won’t miss a single note while listening to these tracks. Nothing would sound so dynamic without a profoundly energetic drumming performance decorated with detailed rhythmic structures, accentuations, fills, and other percussive acrobatics. The lead vocal harmonies come as a cherry on top, but let’s not forget perfectly blended back vocals and uplifting singalongs. The band arranged these vocal parts in all the right parts. Every layer of orchestration resonates with so much power and harmony, and it makes Light Years even more ear-appealing. It’s a perfect melodic punk rock album you need to hear. The vinyl is available at Keep It Secret Records.