It's hard to underestimate how quickly a good, catchy pop-punk song will take you out of a band mood. It definitely works for me at least. What about you? Feeling unproductive? Are you letting yourself be consumed with negative thoughts late into the night? Are you worried that you'll never get your life on any kind of meaningful track? Well, I can't help you with any of that. And neither can the UK's The Losing Score. What I can do though, is recommend that you check out The Losing Score's Learn To Let This Go. It might not have the answers you're looking for, but it is a very fun and beautifully crafted, tight and honest pop-punk record. And it just might get you out of whatever mood you're in long enough to do something about what got you in that mood to begin with. The riffs are punchy and the melodies bemusingly familiar but distinct- a combination of Blink beats and grooves and bright and bursting rock structures that explode with a guileless enthusiasm analogous to Weezer in their current incarnation, but played with a level of pep and zeal that can match your memory of the first time you heard the Blue Album. The lyrics do not address sunny subject matter, but they do often demonstrate a propensity for growth and reflection that I find incredibly encouraging. And then there are Brodie Normandin's vocals, which I can only describe as a sonic match for an emotionally grounded, and, dare I say, happy (!?!) Dan Andriano with the way his words just glide off his lips and his tendency to curl the end of his lines in such a way as to maximize their emotional impact. Learn To Let This Go may be the product of the band tearing the lids of their head and letting all the grief and anxiety they've pent up flow out the top like a shook up Pepsi, but I can't help myself but find what they're doing kind of sweet and compelling. On top of that, they clearly know how to write and have managed to put together a sterling little rock record, which counts for a hell of a lot. Like I said before, The Losing Score can't cure what ails you. That's up to you at the end of the day. But what they can do is give you something that is an absolute joy to listen to, and who knows, maybe that will be what helps you get a jump on all that other stuff that's been weighing you down. It could be as simple as getting a haircut or a good night's sleep. You have to start somewhere if you want to get anywhere.
