Times Like These – Take It or Leave It

May 20th, 2018

Times Like These is a Pop Rock/Pop Punk band hailing from Long Island, New York. The band consists of Mike Acampora, Zach Dyer, Eddie Giuffo and Cody Omage. They already have one successful EP to their name, “Follow Your Stupid Dreams” and recently released their sophomore EP, “Take It or Leave It”. This new EP is everything Times Like These fans have been waiting for. This EP is filled with melodic and gang vocals that will make everyone sing along and traditional Pop Punk instrumentals to keep you moving. Times Like These demonstrate a new level of maturity with this release and are on a path towards greatness!

“Take It or Leave It” starts off with Pipe Bomb, one of my favorite songs on the EP. The song immediately hooks you with the sound of a ringside bell, signaling the chaos to commence. Times Like These immediately comes in with heavy guitar chords and drumming similar to that of Good Charlotte and Blink 182. This song is infectious and soon enough you’ll be playing it over and over again. Chicago follows and it is such an awesome song. Chicago proves that Times Like These makes music that people will always sing along to. Typically, the chorus is where most people sing at the top of their lungs, but Times Like These has irresistible lyrics that will make you sing throughout the entire song. “I’m growing comfortable with this temptation, all bets are off, we’re gonna lose control. And my eyes are way too wide, to make a bad decision, so take it or leave it, you better believe it, cuz in the morning, I’ll still be the same”.

“Take It or Leave It” continues with Passing Cars. I love this song because of the band’s ability to incorporate subtle undertones within the instrumentals. While most people might not even think twice about it, I love that short but sweet percussion introduction to the song. The second verse of the song begins with the vocals, “Your words hit me like a gunshot, cutting away at another moonlit night” and it is paired with a sick bass kick and fast drumming that adds so much emphasis to the vocals!

Times Like These finishes off the five song EP with Moody Blue (Synesthesia) and Forget Me Nots and Marigolds. Moody Blue (Synesthesia) was the first single released in promotion of the EP, and what an excellent song it is. It is the song that will surely lead to amazing opportunities if it hasn’t already! It is filled with exciting instrumentals and a very catchy chorus. “I’m changing colors everyday, your shades of red will fade to grey, you tell me blue is all that I need, but I know, that I’ll be ok”. “Take It or Leave It” ends with Forget Me Nots and Marigolds. I love this song because it shows off Times Like These slower, heavier side. It is filled with darker guitar chords and deeper, heavier vocals. “I got carried away, torn apart, by the monsters in the dark. I gave you stars cause you wanted space, I’d give it back just for a taste, to get carried away”. Keep an ear out for the piano/drumming outro of the song. Such a sick addition to the song and adds so much depth to it!

Times Like These impressed me with their first EP release, but “Take It or Leave It” has blown that first release out of the water. The quality of the songs, the maturity heard both within the instrumentals and vocals and the all around fun nature is going to make this release big! Make sure to grab yourself a copy of the new EP, and check out music from it on the blog’s Spotify playlist; After Hours Review!