Our Life Story - I'd Rather Change Than Stay The Same

When I get sent a new pop-punk band, I really need to be impressed in order to cover it. I've been sent too much boring, generic, and simply awful pop-punk and pop-rock bands, and it's gotten to the point where I simply ignore most of it. Our Life Story is a needle in the haystack. Their five song EP I'd Rather Change Than Stay The Same is only thirteen minutes long, but you will not find a dull moment in the entire thing. Aggression is the best description of the album, as the drums are brutal and intense, while the vocals are rough and scream-like at times, similar to Such Gold or State Champs. Though the first two and last two tracks are very similar and do blend together, it still makes for an excellent short car ride. The middle track "Clark St" places slower riffs behind an ambient background in a minute and a half long instrumental interlude. While these 90's emo influences only show up in this one track, they at least bring hope that they may be displayed more prominently in a future release. This band could easily break through to the upper tiers of the pop-punk scene. Those other pop-punk bands sending me emails should be a little worried now. With every band like Our Life Story that is sent to me, my expectations get higher and higher. You can stream two of the five songs on the EP on the band's Bandcamp page here.