From Akron, Ohio comes a band of 4 massively skilled teenagers, with an immensely personal and unique sound.
DETENTION, an apt name for a band of student, is a 4-piece Power Punk outfit and their latest offering is very powerful. Rhythmically off-the-hook and compositionally jittery, yet nuanced and characterful, ‘Fade, Not Jaded’ is about one’s innate inability to control how others see them. Evan Cox, the guitarist, and lyricist, readily acknowledges this and seems to derive strength from the fact, which is delivered through Elliott Carter’s primal “…You can’t control me”. The music is off-kilter. Starting with a righteously gigantic Toms run that sounds devilish, before the wall of detuned guitars hit, right afterwards, the Punk goodness starts. The verses are a feast of sweet punk chords and healthy melodies. Elliott’s voice and delivery are fitting throughout the wide dynamic range of the song, proficient and accurate in the melodic parts, and monstrous in the screamed, alternative sections.
The riffs go from the predictable, rhythmic, quick power chord chugs, all the way to idiosyncratic scratchy riffs, played with a larger-than-life attitude. The drums are also a thing of beauty. Luke Konopka showcases some of the freshest and most charismatic displays of presence throughout the song, actively making the drumline a living part of the composition, not just a mere purveyor of sick beats.
DETENTION are immensely talented, with each member being a truly dedicated player that plays their part justice… their part being an intricate and nuanced part of the tapestry that is this song’s complex soundscape. Way to go guys!
