The latest EP from Cold Weather Kids was created in the midst of the on-going pandemic, so it seemed only appropriate to tag this latest collection of songs with the Quarantunes moniker. With a mix of styles in the same vein as Bayside, Pierce the Veil, and the pop sensibilities of AJR, the band have continued to explore the possibilities of their unique brand of pop-punk. The record was mixed by Nick Radovanovic (Stand Atlantic, Grandson) and mastered by Justin Perkins (Screaching Weasel), who both put stamp on these three songs that have some interesting moments to them.
The EP opens with its best track and first single, “Keep Me Warm,” that immediately grabs the listener by the horns with some fast-paced guitars, upbeat drumming, and some captivating vocals. The song is reminiscent of some of the breakneck starts and stops from Pierce the Veil’s Collide With the Sky album, and shows the promise of Cold Weather Kids when they are in sync with what each band member is best at. The theatrical track is a great taste of things to come in the new year for this band.
”You’re My Player 2″ is a song that uses tons of video game metaphors to make sense of this crazy thing called life. The track is similar to the styling of other synth-pop punk bands like Motion City Soundtrack and City Mouth, and features plenty of tongue-in-cheek lyrical references to navigating through the various challenges that we come across. The song would have come across as a little clumsy if the band didn’t took themselves too seriously, but its clear that Cold Weather Kids are all about leaving their audience with a smile on their face.
The short EP closes with “Nothing New, But It’s Meant For You,” a quick acoustic guitar-driven track that looks towards “better days” ahead. The song does a nice job of summarizing everything that went wrong in this past year, but still remains optimistic that things can turn around in the near future. Cold Weather Kids are a band that seem to be having a blast creating music for their fans, and they leave the door wide open with the possibilities of the direction they can take their music with their next release.