THIS TIME NEXT YEAR “A Place For You”
San Francisco’s THIS TIME NEXT YEAR are akin to a full-band mash-up of NEW FOUND GLORY, THE MOVIELIFE and early SAVES THE DAY. After recording a stellar demo with notable Bay Area producer Zach Ohren, THIS TIME NEXT YEAR joined Escapist and trekked off to Nu-Tone Studios for a more professional stint in the studio (six days versus two!). The result is five re-recorded songs from the demo and two new ones as well. Proving that the band didn’t peak on their first stab at songwriting, new tunes, “Rules of a Ghost Hunt,” and closer “Sweetest Air,” prove to be full of visceral energy and branch out ever-so-slightly from the band’s overt slate of influences. Speedy tempos are the norm as thick, melodic guitars wash alongside Pete Dowdalls earnest, innocent vocals. Dowdalls’ voice is familiar and easy to peg as competent for the band’s brand of pop-punk, but he is a long way from having a style of his own. And that’s OK at this point – the fellas in THIS TIME NEXT YEAR are young, exuberant, and have a great handle on the bands that have inspired them. Every time I finish listening to A Place For You I think, “wow, these guys can play!” As a critic, its tempting to write off THIS TIME NEXT YEAR as a mere (yet musically solid) rehash, but I can’t help but root for these guys – like SET YOUR GOALS, there’s a special quality to these guys that’s hard to pin down, but you know it when you hear it.
Escapist
