Review by Shannon Shumaker
Strong vocals are what carry a great pop-punk record, and right away, the vocals in Sudden Suspension’s There’s A Bigger Picture Here draw you into the EP with strong leads, pretty harmonies and a strong contrast between the first two songs that is sure to blow you away. The first song “Where I Left It” is a slow and mellow intro, and for a moment, you may think that this EP is going to be quiet and emotional, but then “Where I Left It” leads into “As Good As It Gets” in an explosion sound and completely different vocals from the opening track. This contrast is a huge selling point for this EP, and the following catchy songs only back it up.
“As Good As It Gets” is high energy and explosive, full of strong, passionate vocals very reminiscent of The Wonder Years or Real Friends. This second songs grabs your attention and doesn’t let go – again, much like The Wonder Years, Sudden Suspension’s sound and lyrics are instantly relatable and memorable.
At the heart of it, this EP has everything that one looks for in a good pop-punk record – relatable lyrics, sing-along worthy choruses, and strong, high energy guitar riffs. There’s an air of positivity in the lyricism throughout every song as well, making it very relatable. “Eventually,” for instance is about finding happiness. “We’ll Always Have Each Other” showcases the band’s diversity in the form of an emotional acoustic track. Again, the vocals and lyricism shine on this song, which is about picking yourself up and moving forward. Another positive track, “We’ll Always Have Each Other” hosts some very strong lines such as, “Just don’t forget to pretend that it gets better than this,” or the life-changing, “It’s not as bad as you make it seem/Cause it’s all in how you look at things/When you figure that out you’ll be happy.”
Rounding out the album, “Footsteps” is short and simple, while “Cheap Seats” is more wordy and complicated, and “Back Roads” leaves you on a positive note. It is worth noting, however, that save for the first two songs and “We’ll Always Have Each Other,” there isn’t a whole lot of versatility in these songs. Specifically during the second half of the EP, I found myself waiting for a moment that stood out or made each song special, but the strongest moments in the album are definitely found in the first two tracks, the emotional acoustic “We’ll Always Have Each Other” and the very pretty guitar work in the final song, “Back Roads.” That’s not to say that There’s A Bigger Picture Here is not a strong EP, though. Lyrically, this album is mature beyond Sudden Suspension’s years and full of songs that listeners are bound to connect to and relate with for years to come. Sudden Suspension are definitely onto something with There’s A Bigger Picture Here, and considering their age both as a band and as people (vocalist Brandon Stasi is only 19) they can only go up from here.
Rating: 3.5/5
Listen to “We’ll Always Have Each Other”