My heart remains under the charm of Chicago’s late ‘90s, early 2000s pop punk scene as well as today’s emerging scene. There is something magical about hearing a band from the city or down the road making it and touring while going through the hardships of growing up, going through some of the same experiences as us listeners (and fans) that make the songs that much more appealing.
As someone whose boyhood was made complete by these bands, relishing in experiences that may have been a bit beyond my years (and comprehension), it gave me something to look forward to. While parties and getting wasted were experiences I could easily overlook, genuine connection, reflective melodies and a band’s dedication to musical relativity drew me in.
Villa Park pop punk quartet, Showoff, attempted to exhibit what they had learned post-breakout. After their successful self-titled debut effort in 1999, via Madonna’s record imprint Maverick Records, the band’s activity gradually fizzled. Rather than opt for a larger release, Showoff decided to test the waters with their 2006 EP release, “Waiting for You.” Though a comeback effort, the band exhibits massive growth and exudes confidence on every track and sounds as though it is an immediate follow-up to their major record debut.
“Goodbye” is an exciting, fast-paced introductory track led by intriguing guitar work by guitarist Nate Thruman. The vocalist, lyricist and frontman for the band, Chris Envy, has wrapped the melodic narrative in a wonderful metaphor of a souring relationship to convey his sentiments about being a musician and band life. As sung in his chorus, Envy captures the essence of his profound connection to his musicianship, “Everybody’s telling me what to do, and I can’t picture my life without you/let’s give this one more try/I swear it won’t be that bad, the best night you’ve ever had/ I hate it when you say goodbye.” Emotion and musical grit meet at the apex of Envy’s choral performance and lays solid groundwork for the EP to trudge on.
“Bump” is a catchy actualization of the track’s title. Acting as more of the anti-radio single of the EP, the track looks to pay homage to older punk bands and the changing nature of the music industry. Envy’s vivid imagery and message with the track becomes clear with the bridge of the song, “Remember the time/ the friends are leaving/ the summer’s fleeting/ the ball-games on/ the memories/ of you and me, when we got closer/ drive to Memphis/ to skate the zoo, across the street to get our tattoos/ I miss the times with all my friends/ so everybody’s seen here at the coast again.” The song thrives with the melody capturing the essence of the emotions wrapped up in the nostalgia of the bridge. Moreover, with Envy’s vocal performance during this particular part, allows the track and band to depart from other punk bands of the time, exhibiting Showoff’s seamless ability to blend softer, pop elements in harder, more aggressive/emotive music.
“Coming Home” is a short, sweet jam. The track employs a traditional punk song structure that brings everything to a close in under three minutes. That being said, just because the track is not long does not degrade the integrity of the track in any facet. Envy’s layered vocals on the track exhibit his powerful vocal performance, notable as another within the ensemble of the band.
“Maybe” is a Chicago punk track, spiced with a little more flavor. Part of what distinguishes the Chicago punk scene from other cities’ is the infusion of emotional tones from both the bass line all the way to the melody. The track exhibits this nature with the background track bouncing from micro-melody to micro-melody, using the music as a vehicle for melodic progression and the track’s residual catchiness.The listener could sing this song at different parts and sound as though they were singing three entirely different songs. While discovering musical nuances of expression by re-inventing common thematic and musical elements of the genre, the track exhibits how effortlessly Showoff can assemble a new track taking influence from what they already know and simply tilting it to an angle that has not yet been experimented with.
“Waiting For You” is a nostalgic track aligning with the late ‘90s era pop punk structure. It assumes a ‘99 party vibe that takes the listener back to the pool party, falling-in-love-with-ther-person-next-door era. The track starts with a small guitar riff with Envy completing the ensemble by the first chorus. While talking about waiting for a potential lover to return, the nature and audible texture of the track could be interpreted as Envy’s dedication to his fans always willing to perform and express himself musically. Given this wonderful snippet of 90s era punk, it enhances the EP in not just paying homage to other bands of the time who embraced this sound (ie, Sublime, MxPx, Blink 182, Green Day), but to exhibit the sound still works, and works well. When it comes to music, as long as a band or artist doesn’t look to fix a genre, but pay homage to the sound that influenced the genre to where it got, certain song structures or even whole songs work to enhance the sound of the band.
As a whole, “Waiting For You” is Showoff’s attempt to come back into the mainstream. Given the band’s dedication to the sound and genre, it was not an exhibition of what might have been learned in the 5 year break, “Waiting For You” is a passionate exploration of memory. Today, on the brink of their second comeback, Showoff recently opened for Authority Zero and Mest at the W.C. Social Club, with Envy announcing time in the studio as well as a new album release. Showoff continues to adapt to the times, doing it in their own style and showing bands outside of Chicago, punk never dies. Time has the tendency to wash a lot away, but given the profound nature of some memories happiness and growing up seem to shine brightest in the back of the mind. Sometimes we need to do something that made us happy all too long ago, to ensure our humanity or to ensure that we are still who we are.
5/5
