Handguns – Life Lessons
Album Review by Colleen Casey
Pop punk is a genre quickly growing with many new emerging artists stepping up to the plate and trying to make a name for themselves. This keeps veteran bands on their toes with creating new music that will keep fans hooked and interested. Philadelphia based band, Handguns, has done just that with the release of their second full length album, Life Lessons, on Pure Noise Records. If you are a fan of Handguns or a little iffy about the band, their new release is going to grab your attention and have you singing along in no time. To be completely honest, I am pretty picky when it comes to music and I was not all that impressed with their first full length, Angst. Life Lessons on the other hand, has given me a new light and interest towards Handguns and I think it is their best work yet.
A favorite on Life Lessons would have to be “The Loved Ones Who Hate Us.” I am in my mid 20’s and this song gives me a bit of nostalgia towards “pop-punk” music from 10 years ago. I found the song “Queens” very relatable after growing up in a town where everyone follows along the same path of going to school, working the same kinds of boring 9 to 5 jobs, and being afraid to take risks and step out into the world, making adventures their own. The songs on this album show us a more mature band, from Taylor Eby’s angsty powerful vocals to the guitar riffs and melodies.
Life Lessons is a game changer for Handguns and gives them a boost in the right direction that fans have been looking for. They have shown a great amount of growing and improvement from their previous release two years ago.
Handguns are heading out for a short album release run along the east coast and then will be touring with Hundreth, Counterparts, Being As An Ocean as well as a few others on the Common Vision tour across the US. So be sure to check out their new music as well as their performances on the road.
The band also released a music video for “The Loved Ones Who Hate Us” featured on Life Lessons. Check it out below.
Overall Rating: 4.5 / 5
Recommended Tracks: “The Loved Ones Who Hate Us”, “Sleep Deprived”, “Head vs. Heart”
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