Save Your Breath - There Used To Be A Place For Us

Pop-punk and indeed punk/hardcore doesn't get enough coverage on here and I feel like perking myself up after a tough day. Newport boys Save Your Breath released this record in late 2013 via Animal Style Records. It's done them a lot of good too; they've played Slam Dunk this year and are due to support Kids In Glass Houses on their farewell tour next month.

Tracklist:-

1. Lessons
2. Whole
3. Maps
4. Harrow Road
5. Skin And Bones
6. Abandon
7. Find A Way
8. The World Is Yours
9. Airs & Graces
10. Touchpaper
11. There Used To Be A Place For Us

Save Your Breath begin opening track Lessons with a dramatic intro that deceives you. If you thought that this record was going to be full of cookie cutter pop-punk, you’re gonna be surprised. Save Your Breath take elements from melodic rock, indie and indeed punk; moulding them together into an arena filling sound.

With Whole, they turn up the pace and settle into more familiar territory. At times, you could be listening to Rise Against or even Reel Big Fish (sans the trumpets). One thing they do very well, is condense their songs into short bursts, which carry good momentum. Maps is perfectly placed to follow Whole in terms of it’s pace and punch. Maps is reminiscent of latter day Funeral For A Friend, which isn’t a bad comparison at all.

If your still clinging onto the final remnants of your summer nights, then Harrow Road is the song for you. Perfect sing-along song. Save Your Breath’s penchant for big songs can be heard on Skin And Bones. It’s more reflective and thought provoking. It’s a ballad of sorts, but never feels mushy or self-deprecating. The riffs at the beginning of Abandon switch the mood and are really danceable. They must sound great live! Another thing that hits you on this record is the overall instrumentation, which is simple and very effective.

Save Your Breath frequent a part of the punk spectrum that I’ve not been focusing on of late, mainly due to my own nostalgic image of what punk is and also because I usually have my head buried in more extreme sounds. I feel I should do more digging though, as I’m really enjoying this. Find A Way is literally your archetypal three-minute masterpiece. The anthemic riffs and comforting vocals give The World Is Yours a familiar sheen that puts you at ease. That’s not to say it’s staid though, far from it!

Airs & Graces is a tad more experimental but buries itself in your head really quickly. The overall pace of the record carries on through to the penultimate song, Touchpaper. The melodic score that sits behind the vocals keeps things tight. Ending with the title-track and it’s echoing vocals, There Used To Be A Place For Us is one of those records that you’ll crave more than you thought you would. While The Movielife and Drive-Thru Records era punk will always been the pinnacle for me, Save Your Breath make a very good case for the current crop.

You can stream the whole album via Animal Style Records here:-



You can buy it digitally from the above bandcamp page.

You can grab physical copies from the links below:-

Save Your Breath Bigcartel - http://www.saveyourbreath.bigcartel.com
Animal Style Records - https://animalstyle.nosleeprecords.com

Save Your Breath Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/saveyourbreath
Animal Style Records Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/animalstylerecords