Pop-punkers The Story So Far out of California with their first full-length album through Pure Noise Records. Under Soil and Dirt is an all-around solid album in the genre of pop-punk, being one of the best pop-punk albums in 2011. From hateful lyrics to great instrumentals and everything in between it is hard to find diversity in pop-punk these days where a lot of songs will usually sound the same for the most part, but these guys for the most part didn't let that happen.
While the first three tracks (not including the intro track) have the same fast-paced instrumentals, their only problem with diversity, the chorus for "Quicksand" sticks out the most for being the catchiest and lyrically the chorus for "Swords and Pens" is one of the best on the album. Those things try to help being diverse, but still a little too much alike. The album really picks up with "High Regard" with each song on the rest of the album being diverse instrumentally, thus making each song stand out in their own way. "Daughters" is the best song instrumentally with the second half of it being absolutely awesome. "Mt. Diablo" is the golden gem on this album, the only one over four minutes long. With the powerful intro as if you are walking into a coliseum and great lyrics "Do you look yourself straight in the eyes and think about who you let between your thighs?/Cut the shit be real with me/You're the only one I ever fucking judge." "Four Years" and "Rally Cap" are your solid all-around pop-punk songs, while the acoustic led "Placeholder" delivers the deepest lyrics on the album.
This album is one of the best pop-punk albums of 2011 as their biggest challenge will not to fall in that "sophomore slump" with their next album, whenever it will be. However though, I think they won't fall into that category because these guys are going to be on the rise, don't be surprised if you hear their name more and more in the future.
I give this album a 8.3/10
Listen to - Mt. Diablo
Daughters
Quicksand
Review by Sean Graham
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