Get A Life - One For The Books EP Review

Get A Life are a Hardcore influenced Pop Punk band from Philly. I first found these guys Summer of 2009 randomly on the Internet. I saw they had a demo for free download so I grabbed it. I fell in love immediately. After a few listens I messaged the band on Myspace and said "hey is there any way I can get a physical copy of your demo?". Sadly they told me no, but I could download it for free and that they were recording for a new EP. I made sure they kept in touch and let me know when they release their new EP. That new EP came out near the end of May titled "One For The Books". I was eager to listen to it, even more so because of how much I loved the demo. Here are my thoughts.

The Introduction gets things started well with a powerful guitar lead in, which conjures up thoughts of The Wonder Years - Washington Square Park. Though the track could probably do without the fake laughing it quickly gets back on track. The sub minute Intro does a great job to capture the listeners attention without the hassle of too much work. Sounds like this song originated as a Intro to a their live set. Though it's not the sound I expected from this band it's very welcome to my ears because it is very in tune with the majority of the music I listen too.

As the second track "Chill Out Picasso" starts it brings me back to the fast Pop Punk styling of their demo. Halfway through the song you hear exactly how the songs gets its title with the lines "paint me a picture" and "emotional impressionist". Yes, I was forced to take Art History once. Shortly after the song takes an unexpected turn. It slows down which leads to a "breakdownesque" part which brings back a glimpse of the gang vocals that I love from this band. All in all it is a nice fast track which will also appeal greatly to those "Easycore" lovers.

Early on in the third track "C Sick" we hear some great backing vocals and gang vocals a bit later which is something I hope Get A Life never forget about. The impression I get from this track is that it is a track of revolution that would fit perfectly on the upcoming Easycore blog compilation "Un-Mixtape". It is a textbook track about putting your foot down. At first listen this song to me was just the next song on the CD. However, after a few listens I started to notice the "skeleton" of the track and I love it. The drums are consistently fast throughout the song and the bass lines are quite driving.

The final track reminds me a lot of why I love this band. They bring back the awesome backing and gang vocals. "There's No Basement In The Alamo" second listen through I find this song quite infectious. Not only is my head bobbing, but I'm typing in rhythm with the song. I also find myself drumming along. The track closes out with a tribute to Saves The Day which is an extra special surprise. I won't ruin it for you guys but you'll love it.

Overall this EP takes a much more serious tone than the demo which was about Brotherly Love and The Sandlot. The EP out distances the Demo quite easily. The biggest downside to this EP, in my opinion, is the production. As far as first EPs go this is pretty much the norm. Keep in mind just because a CD doesn't have the best production doesn't mean it isn't worth listening to. Although "One For The Books" is short, clocking in at just over 10 minutes, it is easy to visualize how many stage dives and pile-ons could be crammed into this. After only a few listens through you'll find yourself singing along and ready to join the mayhem at a live performance.

With this EP the pros greatly out-weigh the cons, and at only four dollars it is hard to say no to buying this. As much as I had been anticipating this EP some of you may find it biased but I find it easy to give this a 4/5 rating as well as my personal stamp of approval.

GET A LIFE LINKS:
http://www.myspace.com/getalifepa
http://www.twitter.com/getalifepa

BUY THIS EP:
http://getalife.bigcartel.com/product/one-for-the-books-ep
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/GetALife/from/viglink