If you’re looking for another “pop-post emocore” band, then look no further than Florida’s very own the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (RJA).
The group has managed to create a pop-thumping, toe-tapping debut album “Don’t You Fake It,” but honestly, the sound is nothing new. The band’s sound is a mix of Hawthorne Heights and Silverstein thrown together so that every 15-year-old in America will love it.
RJA has just finished touring with the famous punk rock traveling circus, the Vans Warped Tour.
The band went into the studio to record “Don’t You Fake It” with producer David Bendeth, who has also worked with Hawthorne Heights and Breaking Benjamin.
The entire band was excited to work with Bendeth and said the producer constantly challenged the group to sound better and work harder.
According to Purevolume.com, the group’s first single “Face Down” is currently the most played song and has also been receiving heavy attention on the Web site MySpace.com
“Face Down” has a jumpy feel to it, with catchy guitar riffs and mellow beats. The song is about domestic abuse, and the lyrics follow the beatings of a woman, “Face down in the dirt/she said this doesn’t hurt/she said I’ve had enough.”
The name “The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus,” actually has no particular meaning, according to front man Ronnie Winter. “It’s 100 percent completely arbitrary,” Winter said. “When we started the band, we only cared about having a good time and writing good songs far more than coming up with some symbolic, incredibly intelligent name.”
“Misery Loves Its Company” is filled with typical screaming vocals and a basic breakdown. It’s a good song, but it feels very repetitive compared to all of the popular music that is on the radio today.
“Damn Regret” is a pop ballad to teenage angst and making out with girls. As the album progresses, the music continues to be upbeat with empty lyrics. One might ask where the emotion is and the feelings behind the songs.
“Seventeen Ain’t So Sweet” has no distinguishing musical achievements to set it apart from any other song on the album, and the name of the song feels like a rip-off from fellow emo rockers Fall Out Boy.
One of the best sounding songs on the album is the second track, “Waiting.” This song has a great chord progression and has a good flow throughout the entire song. The lyrics are about a person waiting for life to begin, which for many is typically the first few years out of high school.
The band has a lot of potential, but in such a money-driven industry, RJA has to work harder than everyone else to make its mark.
With so many record companies trying to cash in on the pop emo sound, it is disturbing that bands that have genuine talent are thrown to the wayside because they are thrown under a label.