Record Label: TVT Records
Genre: Femo
Band Link: link
Buy on Amazon.com link

New Years Day have a big-label buzz, or should if they don’t. Musically and stylistically, they’ve put themselves in the crosshairs of where today’s hot music intersects – Fall Out Boy emo, upbeat No Doubt, and Avril Lavigne’s brand of cutely angry power pop.

It’s all very contrived, but on the surface, they do sound good. Like it or not, the music is upbeat with appealing female vocals, a big guitar sound, top-notch production, and self-pitying lyrics about love gone wrong. They’ve got it down to a science, even the disgustingly faux-clever song titles like “Ready Aim Misfire” and “My Sweet Unvalentine.”

Just like any other emo band out there, there’s a nauseating amount of pandering to the juvies (good god, they even have a song about cutting!), but New Years Day does have qualities that set them apart: Ashley Costello’s strong vocals (“Sunrise Sunset”), a few bonafide radio hits with mainstream appeal (“I Was Right,” “You’ll Only Make It Worse”), and some strong songwriting (don’t make me give examples).

As stand-alone songs go, sure, they’re good. Certainly if you had to sit through an emo comp, the one or two NYD tracks would be a real standout. But listening to the whole album with its pea-soupy emo-y production and unrelenting lyrics o’ pathos is an exercise in patience for today’s music, today’s kids, and the ooey-gooey lameness of both.

Bottom Line: Although close enough, boyish emo is better sung by a girl.
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