By Luigi Sibona
The Wonder Years seem to be carrying on their winning graduation from their pop-punk roots to the kind of songwriting royalty saved for only the very greatest of American musicians. After 2013s genre-defining ‘The Greatest Generation’ and 2015s remarkable, emotionally wrought ‘No Closer To Heaven’, ‘Sister Cities’ finds a goldilocks spot between those two record’s sounds; a sound that sits somewhere between New Found Glory, Counting Crows and Tom Petty.
‘Sister Cities’ is the lead single off the Pennsylvania pop-punkers upcoming record of the same name and it packs a considerable punch in its barely 3 minute running time. Lead singer Dan “Soupy” Campbell’s vocal lines are so cathartically hook-laden you can’t help but spin it from the top every damn time it ends (I listened to it upwards of 70 times the day it dropped). A deceptively simple, emotionally raw track that gets bigger and more impactful with every listen.
If we’re still calling these guys a pop-punk band (which I don’t think we should be, for the record) then they’re the best pop-punk band going and if this record delivers on the strength of its title track, then we’re looking at an all time world-beater.
The forthcoming album ‘Sister Cities’ will be released 6th April and The Wonder Years kick off their UK leg or their tour 11th April.
Listen to ‘Sister Cities’ here: