WSTR - 'Red, Green Or Inbetween' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. Featherweight

2. Footprints

3. Gobshite

4. Lonely Smiles

5. Nail The Casket (Thanks For Nothing)

6. Eastbound & Down

7. King's Cup

8.The Last Ride

9. Hightail

10. Penultimate

11. Punchline

Firstly, a massive thank you to Lauren Reading-Gloversmith and No Sleep Records for giving us the opportunity to review one of my personal favourite bands WSTR and their new release.

WSTR are a pioneering pop-punk quartet consisting of Sammy Clifford, Danny Swift, Alex Tobijanski & Kieren Alder. WSTR originally formed as a five piece, but the fairly recent departure of their drummer Kieran left a void in the band. Hailing from Liverpool WSTR burst onto the scene in September 2015, where they were instantly filling peoples ears and making waves with their unique variance of Pop-Punk, with their debut EP '(SKRWD)' released through No Sleep Records, the same record label that are bringing you 'Red, Green Or Inbetween'.

Sammy had the following to say about the album:

"This album is mainly a breakup album however it's not a 'fuck you' album it's more a 'mad at myself' album. The title, ‘Red, Green Or Inbetween’ is based on being stuck in limbo or in the 'in-between'. Amber is also the name of a significant friend of mine who most of the songs are about, so it's a pretty sad boy record. It’s all about kicking myself for not stepping up when I had the chance and coasting through life making bad decisions. Compared to the EP, it’s still very honest but just bigger, better and longer. The artwork is a voodoo doll which is meant to represent me, as I sometimes feel like someone is out to get me with all the bad luck I have. Putting out an album is a big scary step, but it's been a long time coming and we’re ready to see what the world has to say and hopefully see some more of it too.”

'Featherweight' is charged with introducing the audience to 'Red, Green Or Inbetween', and does a fantastic job, setting the tone for the album with it's raunchy, aggressive vocal style and a chorus which was clearly intended to be sung right back at them. Up next is one of my absolute favourite songs recently and one of the lead singles from the album,'Footprints'. 'Footprints' is a song where the catchy chorus of 'Embraced it, I tabled all my aces...' will without a doubt get stuck in your head for days, however it goes well with my wide range of WSTR merch so I have no complaints there! Following in the footprints of well... 'Footprints', is a 40 second spectacle in the form of 'Gobshite' which is basically a invitation to party with WSTR, and one I accept! Proceeding 'Gobshite' is 'Lonely Smiles'. 'Lonely Smiles' was a lead single from the album, featuring a very nifty video showcasing the wonderful array of fans the band has, it was nice to see some familiar faces in there too! 'Nail The Casket' is the midpoint(ish) of the album, and another song that was released prior to release, and a song that I feel relates more to 'SKRWD' than any other, bringing the familiar vocal style with great hooks and catchy chorus'. 'Eastbound & Down' is in my opinion, the best song on the album, it's a showcase of everything that makes UK Pop Punk great, with relatable lyrics.. "I feel like throwing up again, stability is not my friend". 'King's Cup' and 'The Last Ride' are a perfect continuation of the album, with a sound vaguely reminiscent of Neck Deep, or New Found Glory. Either way, UK Pop Punk is in safe hands! 'Hightail' is everything and more that I was expecting from a WSTR track, catchy chorus, nice riffs, a very fast paced tune showcasing the talent of Sammy. 'Penultimate' is one hell of a riot of a song, and instantly gives me the feeling that this song was designed to make a crowd bounce, and that I'm sure it will.

WSTR truly know how to end an album on a high, as proved with 'Punchline'. Musically, 'Punchline' is fucking fantastic. Lyrically, 'Punchline' is fucking fantastic. Overall? Fucking fantastic.