Hey Monday - Beneath It All

On Beneath It All, Hey Monday have transitioned from a pop-punk band to simply a pop band.  Now they're less like Paramore and Fall Out Boy, and more in the style of Avril Lavigne and Kelly Clarkson.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing.  Pop music is a huge and thriving market at the moment.  The only problem is that some fans of the band may not like the change.  The record is a mixed bag.  Some of the songs are extremely catchy and memorable, but others sound like something you would skip over on a full length release.  The EP only has six songs, so if you don't care for half of the songs then you don't have much material left to enjoy.

"Wish You Were Here" is by far the overall best song on the album.  It's young and energetic, yet mature enough for the adult contemporary audience.  The song seems like an odd choice for the album opener.  The "heartbreak" mood really doesn't set off the album at a good pace.  It would have been a much better fit in the middle of the album. This is an extremely minor fault, but it's noticeable.  The only real problem is that part of the melody in the verse is almost identical to "Breathless" by The Corrs.

The single from the album, "I Don't Wanna Dance" is another standout track.  The chorus is the most memorable piece from the album.  It reminds me of Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You", which was a great single.  This single has that "sing along" element that everyone loves to hear on the radio.

"Wish You Were Here" and "I Don't Want To Dance" are solid.  The problem lies with the rest of the EP.  There isn't really a "bad" song on the album.  It's just that the other songs don't stand out upon the first, or even tenth, listen.  The band thrives on the emotional energy in the lyrics and melodies.  If their upcoming full length album has a steady flow of this energy, then it's something to look forward to.