I first saw Bayside in 2004 at the Bottleneck in Lawrence, Ks with Armor for Sleep and Fall Out Boy. Ironically enough, I'm going to my first or second show since then on Sunday to see The Home Team, With Confidence, Real Friends and more.....(but more on that this weekend).
From the opening song, I knew one thing was absolutely certain, Anthony Raneri may have one of the most well-rounded voices in the genre. He can transition from his sweet melodic undertones to moments where you can feel the real angst and/or rage flowing through his voice. His entire vocal range is amazing which is why I instantly listen to every album/single released, and is why I've seen Bayside live 7-8 times (with the most recent being in 2012 from their awesome tour with Taking Back Sunday, the 10 year anniversary of Tell All Your Friends).
This EP features three tracks. Track 1: Strangest Faces has been out for 6-8 months I think, and it is a classic Bayside track, with simple guitar work and the hook softly sung by Raneri and then the band turns it to 11, and you are instantly sucked in.
Track 2: Good Advice starts off with a catchy guitar riff and beat which instantly gets your toes tapping, and if you don't start trying to awkwardly play the air drums, you are missing out. I also think the chorus is both awesome, and poses some great rhetorical questions:
Say goodnight
I'm out of step and out of time
Big surprise
Why's good advice so hard to come by?
Close your eyes
Walk among us one more time
Curse thе sky
Why's good advice so hard to come by?
Track 3: Just Like Home again offers the classic Bayside track beginning of heavy guitar riffs which instantly are cut by the sweetness of Raneri's voice. While there is some pretty amazing guitar work throughout the track, again, I am tied to the personal feeling nature of the chorus:
And it feels just like home
Whеn you sink like a stone
But you breathе just for show
And they wish you good luck on your trip
But little do they know
That you smile and you wave with an anchor still tied to your toes
In last week's review of the new Wonder Years album, I'm very much relating to putting on a façade of happiness and functioning, while dealing with my inner demons and anxieties, and this chorus is another example of finding a strong connection to this track not just from the form, but the lyrical content as well.
I've been waiting to see what comes next from the band after their 2019 release, Interrobang, and if this EP is setting the stage for their next album release, I'm super stoked, and it's a great time to be a Bayside fan!