The Great Heights Band – “rad-pop.”
The Great Heights Band is a rad-pop band from the Baltimore/DC area. It was formed by Neal Karkhanis (vocals & guitar) & Paul Martinez (drums) in 2014. The two decided to record a couple of songs for fun and play a one time show. That one time show gave them the chance to open for Hellogoodbye & Vacationer. Since then, TGHB has added Eric Taft (vocals & guitar) and Owen Brinser (bass), and has signed to Lancaster, Pennsylvania independent label, CI Records! After nonstop touring to support their 2015 release, “Songs in Eastern Standard Timing”, TGHB is back with their new badass album, “rad-pop.”!
“rad-pop.” brings together a diverse mix of pop, punk, nerd, and indie rock, with nods to a retro aesthetic and good old fashioned rock and roll. Throughout the album TGHB brings in a wide range of influences from the likes of Weezer, The Cure, Gorillaz, Radiohead, ELO, and beyond.” Something that struck me as amazing was how different this album is compared to most music being released now. There isn’t a single song on “rad-pop.” that sounds alike. It is great to see a band that is able to successfully blend so many different sounds and styles into one album and make it sound so damn good. “Lyrically, rad-pop. tackles common themes of love and heartbreak, as well as larger topics such as environmental activism and political uncertainty. rad-pop. is an album about growth, love, and finding happiness in a world struggling to find stability. It is fun and introspective, thoughtful, and tongue-in-cheek.”
“rad-pop.” starts off with Straight to Hell. This is a top song for me on the album. I love that The Great Heights Band demonstrates their many influences on this song. The guitar chords and electro type sounds on this song are a mix between Hellogoodbye and Weezer. When you think of those two bands, you don’t normally put the two in the same category; TGHB blended the sounds together amazingly! Start comes next, a song that is sure to be a fan favorite. The harmonious chorus will have people singing along every time they hear the song! “It feels just like the first time, everything was alright, we fall back into place right at the starting line. What sets you apart, I know it all by heart, how could I forget just how we got our start?”
The Great Heights Band continues the album with Quicksand, one of the album’s singles. Quicksand is an example of a song that demonstrates the wide range of sounds and styles that TGHB likes to incorporate into their music. The song has a Metro Station/Hellogoodbye sound. What surprised me about Quicksand was the heavy instrumental bridge and harder vocals. For a band that doesn’t normally incorporate hardcore instrumentals, TGHB killed it!
One of the most unique songs on “rad-pop.” is What’s Real!. The song begins with a guitar chord similar to one you would hear on a Nirvana or Green Day song. The vocals on the verses are dark and eerie. It almost reminds me of the way the verses are sung on Slipknot’s song, Duality, but with punk instrumentals. I love that the song transitions from the dark verses to a lighter, punk chorus. As this album goes on, it just gets better and better!
My favorite song on this album is Wished I Was Dead. This song has a heavy pop punk vibe. The second the song begins, I’m immediately transported to my younger self, singing my heart out to bands like Good Charlotte, Sum 41 and Zebrahead. Wished I Was Dead is a song that is going to make you want to let loose and go crazy in the middle of a festival crowd. I can picture TGHB playing this song at a festival like Vans Warped Tour and the crowd going nuts!
“rad-pop.” is an album that screams “fun”. It contains kick ass gang chorus’, like the chorus on Wished I Was Dead, incorporates indie/folk sounds, pianos, heavy guitar riffs, electro beats and pop punk staples to create one of the greatest albums I have heard in a long time. There is no doubt in my mind that The Great Heights Band is on a path destined for success. Make sure to grab yourself a copy of “rad-pop.” when it’s released on April 20th. For now, listen to some music from the album on the blog’s Spotify playlist; After Hours Review!
The Great Heights Band is going on tour! Check out the dates below:
