EIS Review: Daytrader - Twelve Years

Daytrader - Twelve Years [review by Sam Carter]

From hearing the Daytrader's Last Days of Rome LP in 2010 and Mike Sapone producing this, I was pretty excited by the release of Twelve Years.

They remind me of every pop punk / punk rock / 90s emo dream you could imagine - I'm talking about The Ataris, Hot Water Music, Sunny Day Real Estate. The nostalgic pull is beautiful, the song writing intense and well structured, and lyrics easy to remember and sing along to. This might be because they have aforementioned punk rock supremo producer Mike Sapone (Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, Crime in Stereo) behind the desk, but who cares! He just adds the icing to this already delicious cake.

I've heard a few knocks for this LP, but I just don't hear Twelve Years that way. I hear a bunch of dudes who know what they are doing and write great hooks, great melodies, real chorus's and you can guarantee will be amazing live. Tym Nolastname (not real last name) has this charisma in his vocals that hang you on to every word, and make you wanna lose your voice at a show.

Notable songs like "Firebreather", "Lost Between the Coasts", "If You Need It", "Heard It In a Song" and the album finale "Letter To a Former Lover" - actually, the whole LP is notable. Seriously. I've just tried to pick the best songs and I can't.

Tym, Gary, Mike, Derrick and Matt - you guys should be proud of making this fresh take on a genre I had given up on.

They're touring with The Wonder Years in the US either now or soon, so catch them before Twelve Years blows up like Deja Entendu did, if you know what I mean.