Artist: Pompeii Grafitti
Album: Internet World Tour
Release Date: 04/29/18
RIYL: Turnover, Bong Wish, ManDancing
Rating: 7/10
Recorded at a bunch of different locations with a bunch of guest musicians, each song on the local band’s new album, Internet World Tour, has its own personality. Although all the songs are unique in their own way, they still all blend to create a cohesive album, representative of Pompeii Graffiti itself. The whole album keeps you jamming out to its inviting lyrics, sonic depth, and upbeat percussion.
Internet World Tour takes the fun, nerdy pop-punk of the old Pompeii Graffiti and adds a level of maturity, reinventing and evolving the band that WLOY knows and loves. With its various guest musicians playing string instruments, songs like “Vanishing Act” and “Black Aggie” feel full and have an element of mystery that is new to Pompeii Graffiti’s sound. I like to call this the new nerdy pop-punk: representing the pop-punk concepts of failure with a more indie and modern rock sound.
My personal favorites are “Pulling Teeth,” which makes you want to jump around, “White Coat Syndrome,” which brings out some 2000’s alternative nostalgia, and “Gaius,” which is more mellow with playful violin. However, I had a hard time even choosing three favorites, seeing as each song has its one merit, whether it be an alternation in female/male lead vocals, melancholy lyrics, kick-ass guitar solos, arena-like energy, or even a horn section. You can find your own favorite here once the album is released on April 29th, or watch the live performance of each song off the album here. With all these different sounds to choose from and all these videos to watch, it’s almost impossible to pin Pompeii Graffiti down, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
