Calm. – Our Twenties (2021)
Existing in some way for over a decade and regularly finding their way onto our virtual pages, UK-based Calm. has a unique way of both calming and provoking a listener. Using loud, brash and bold music, the lads throw a ray of sunshine on the dreariness of Northern England. Influenced by the likes of Alkaline Trio, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Blink 182 and Rancid, there is a sense of hard-hitting power in their unforgettable tunes and I’m not the only one saying this. Turning heads across the globe, Calm. has featured in Less Than 1000 Followers, YMX and various radio stations/playlists. The latest addition to their ripping repertoire is ‘Our Twenties’.
Following their pop-punk anthem ‘Eat Shit Everyone’ (read our review here), ‘Our Twenties’ is a nod to late-90s pop-rock with a contemporary flair. I could say the song has a reminiscence to Good Charlotte comparing Ashley Merritt’s vocals to a gruffer Patrick Stump, but that would not be fair to anyone. The young foursome has an originality that transcends most of the established bands I know, including Good Charlotte. Bringing together their diverse experiences with punk and emo, Calm. is lively and jovial but expresses provocative material in their music. ‘Our Twenties’ is a look at the “general train wreck” of adolescence and young adulthood.
As with previous material, high-powered guitars meld seamlessly with pounding drums resulting in a relentless headbanging melody. What I really love, beyond the infectious sound, is the intriguing lyrical content. A fan of Fall Out Boy and Green Day, I am a difficult person to please when it comes to pop-rock material; however, these talented musicians have innovativeness that holds my attention. Touching on issues of inner turmoil, anxiety, frustration and acting like a complete arse, ‘Our Twenties’ connects with audiences not only in their earlier years. Everyone knows they make mistakes, deal with breakdowns and land up in the shit, but it is how you deal with these errors that make you stronger.
“I was sitting down to write a tune about one of my closest friends and noticed that at some point we’d all suffered essentially a total mental breakdown, some large and some not so large, but all of them resulted in acting like a total bellend for a while. In layman’s terms, the tune is simply about how hard it is to become an adult. You gotta figure out what that means to you, gotta struggle, you gotta screw up and hope that on the other end you still vaguely resemble a human being.” – Ashley Merritt on ‘Our Twenties’
For more from Calm. check out their Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
