TALK TUESDAY / Review of The Region's EP "Everything I've Got", Out this Friday
BY MICHAEL MARADO
Regret is an old man’s affair. On the other hand, punk rock is a young man’s game. Yet nearly every day we see young people lament the mistakes of their pasts or even the missteps they didn’t take. When punk and regret come together, we get the sad but fun little genre known widely as “emo”. Though the genre bubbled up in the underground throughout the ’90s, it came to a head in the mid to late ’00s as a full-blown mainstream musical movement. This isn’t a history lesson, thankfully, but rather context for the band for the Indiana pop-punk trio known simply as The Region.
Though pop-punk/emo has fallen out of the mainstream largely, many bands in the underground continue to emulate the sounds of their heroes of emo’s heyday. The Region are no exception to this. On their new extended play Everything I’ve Got, the Region stick to their guns with a solid collection of pop-punk numbers.
Pop-punk revels in brevity and the Region are aware of this running through 5 songs in only 16 minutes. Yet these songs are overloaded with teenage feelings of loneliness, lost love, and the previously mentioned concept of regret. Vocalist Jake Cyprian explores themes of self-deprecation on “The One You Need” which features a tapped solo, not unlike the likes of American Football or Tiny Moving Parts.
Perhaps the standout track on the EP is the opener “Giving Up” which features Free Throw vocalist Cory Castro. Castro delivers a post-hardcore influenced howl over the final stretch of the song and will no doubt boost the band’s profile.
Another important thing to note on this EP is just how squeaky clean it sounds. This both works for the band and against it. Clean and professional recordings may attract fans looking to hear a band at its tightest. Unfortunately, this may also drive away listeners looking for the underground edge that punk is known for.
All talk of production aside, the Region writes competent pop-punk songs that will appease fans of the genre. If you’re not a fan of this style or genre, the Region won’t change your mind. And perhaps the Region isn’t concerned with changing minds.
Everything I’ve Got will be released on Spotify Friday. Click here to pre-save on Spotify.
2.5/5 stars
You can find the Region’s music on Spotify and Soundcloud. You can also find the Region on their website, Youtube, Tumblr, as well as their social media accounts @theregionband.