Having been around in the underground parts of the pop punk scene for over ten years now, one would expect In Her Own Words’ third album to be the one that breaks them out into the mainstream. Distance or Decay has some pretty notable featured artists as well as some varied sounds, but unfortunately other people’s coattails and an acoustic song isn’t quite the award-winning blueprint.
The phrase “generic pop punk” has become generic in itself; the mind instantly jumping to that one Neck Deep shirt everyone had in 2014. However, that’s the only way to describe the overall concept of In Her Own Words’ latest full-length Distance or Decay. Throughout the 11-track record, there’s little to no imagination. The only thing that does stand out against other bands is Joey Fleming’s vocal style. On a few occasions, such as in ‘Miracle’, he flaunts his range and flair for the softer pop side of the genre. But when he’s not expressing this, it comes across like a weak attempt at mirroring State Champs’ Derek DiScanio. This is quite interesting considering DiScanio features on the opening track ‘Circles’ and immediately shows him up. His short section is cemented as the best part of the song, which otherwise isn’t amazing. His 25 second input fuels the emotion not only through his raw, nasally tones but the half-time instrumentation. If Fleming had performed this part himself it would probably be just as effective, but the quality of rest of the song in general just highlights its vigour.
While DiScanio’s snippet saved his song, Jonathon Vigil’s was so minor it hardly felt worth it. Despite the previous claim that there was nothing outside the box on this record, choosing to invite a metalcore vocalist into the mix on ‘Raining In Toronto’ would have redeemed them somewhat if they had incorporated more of The Ghost Inside’s style. Seeing Vigil’s name set the bar immediately high in anticipation for what he could bring to the table. This was their chance to experiment and release themselves from this blueprint. Instead, all we got was different guitar tuning and some floor tom action amongst his screams.
Moving onto another sin, on three occasions are decent songs ruined by their basic or cringeworthy lyrics. ‘Daydream’ has a strong chorus and with an atmospheric build up, but the opening line “you’ve been dancing through my daydreams, baby, yeah, know you wish that you could save me maybe” just distracts from the get-go. In the seemingly The Story So Far-inspired ‘Lights Out’, they once again try to rhyme “maybe” but this time with “crazy”. If only Shakespeare had come up with more words ending with that syllable. Finally, ‘Ghost’ is the first introduction to the mellow, intricate guitar riffs they’re capable of mastering. Here, the many heartfelt lyrics dedicated to their other half are diminished as she’s referred to as “queen” (“dear queen”, “my queen” etc.) with no irony. Also, in the chorus we have another issue with incredibly simplistic rhyming in the line “you are my holy ghost and that I love you the most”. We’re just begging for some imagination at this point.
Wading through the flaws of this album, there are some redeeming tracks that don’t commit the aforementioned crimes. ‘Leaving Forever’ has a more post-hardcore feel, fuelled with angst that Fleming articulates very well despite earlier comments on his style. The half-time moment in the chorus is particularly effective in driving this mood and Omar Sultani’s drumming in general is gripping. The last two songs ‘Caving In’ and ‘Footprints’ featuring Sierra Annie interject some thrill at the final stretch. ‘Caving In’ has more interesting riffs that take it away from pop punk’s confinements, whereas the latter track is completely acoustic. This style does suit Fleming’s vocals better, allowing them to be intertwined and layered perfectly with hers. Annie’s feature is also far longer than any other and is spread across multiple sections, giving listeners a more freeing structure compared to the standard one provided every time before.
If you’re in search of another pop punk album that stays neatly within its boundaries, here’s another few songs to add to your playlist. While there’s nothing disastrous or abysmal about the selection of tracks presented, it’s simply that 70% aren’t enticing enough for a second listen.