408 – “What Are You Chewing?”
Florida Pop Punk band, 408, recently released their new EP, “What Are You Chewing?”. The band consists of Mark Faroudi (vocals/bass), Jon Jordan (guitar/vocals), and Jake William Cerretani (drums/vocals). This EP is a banger and should be getting the exposure it deserves! 408 has come a long way since the release of their debut EP, and “What Are You Chewing?” is the prime example. The band demonstrated a ton of growth and perfection of their sound on this EP!
I first came across 408 when they reached out to me during the first few months of The After Hours Review being public. I immediately fell in love with the Pop Punk/Punk rock sound that they have and was pumped to get the chance to write about them. Now, almost a year later, 408 outdid themselves with this new EP and inspired me to feature them again! If you are a fan of the Pop Punk style that mixes with the classic sounds of bands like Blink-182, then “What Are You Chewing?” is an album you MUST listen to!
The EP starts off with These Days. Within listening to this song for thirty seconds I was hooked. I love the simple guitar chord and quick drumming intro. It is so similar to what you would hear on a Blink album and is the sound that fans will fall in love with. Something to note is how 408 is easily able to transition the lyrics of a song to be funny and a little out there, and come in with a serious and relatable chorus. “All these days have, their way with me, their way with me. No good things last, so easily, so easily.” I think we can all agree we’ve had days where we felt that it had our way with us, and there is nothing we could have done to change it. I know I definitely have!
408 continues the EP with Roaming and Odd Man Out. I really enjoy Roaming on this very Pop Punk heavy album because it is completely acoustic. I love when a band shows their diversity and are able to create a song that their fans will rock to despite it being a little different from their typical tracks. I really like the emotion filled vocals on this one. The simple lyrics of “I’ll lose it all for you, it’s something I would rather do” speaks volumes. Odd Man Out comes up next and is my favorite song on “What Are You Chewing?”. This song is awesome because it shows the heavier side of the band. This is what I would consider the head banger of the EP. The instrumentals are darker and heavier, and the vocals have a stronger presence. Mark Faroudi shows off his talents by showing a little bit more of a “yelling” side. I put that in quotes because it is in no way to be mistaken for a typical hardcore/yelling song. In comparison to 408’s previous work, they demonstrated a heavier side, somewhat similar to a Four Year Strong or Set Your Goals song. I’m a sucker for a song with darker guitar chords and heavy drumming, so of course I’ll be playing this song nonstop for months to come!
408 ends the EP with Empty Vessels and Orange Ave. I find myself screaming the very first lyrics every time I listen to this song. “They said everything’s gonna be ok, just hold a little bit longer”. These lyrics have such a heavy meaning behind them. There are so many people who feel like they’re losing at everything. They are stuck in that feeling that everything isn’t going to be ok, and typically when people are in that mindset, there is always someone reassuring them that it will all be ok in the end. Hearing that from someone can only be so helpful when one is stuck in a rut day in and day out. I’m so happy 408 included this song on the EP because it is so relatable. It shows that everyone, in all walks of life, have bad times. The EP ends with Orange Ave, another awesome banger! This song is another example of the growth that 408 has gone through, as they incorporate “gang vocals” where they occasionally shout a few lyrics. I love that 408 has established themselves as a Pop Punk band that has the diversity to be heavier when they want, as heard on this song, and are able to be soft and calm when they want, as heard in Roaming.
408 is one of those bands that are destined for big things. With two EP’s under their belt, they have shown that they are the real deal and are coming for every Pop Punk band out there! Make sure you check out their social media accounts to stay up to date on shows and releases, and check out music from “What Are You Chewing?” on the blog’s Spotify playlist: After Hours Review!