Avenue Army – “Favorite Enemy”
Avenue Army – “Favorite Enemy” – Single Review
Ayyyyy…this sounds pretty much exactly like you’d expect a band named Avenue Army to be like!
Ain’t nothing wrong with living up to expectations y’all. This band based out of San Diego has been out there tourin’ around supporting the likes of Alien Ant Farm and The Ataris and whatnot…has that like very similar type of vibe to their own Alt/Rock sound in the Adema, Papa Roach type-family…you know – manly stuff. It’s a tried, tested, and true sound though…and there’s no doubt that they’re executing it at a high level that confirms they’re more than ready to rock themselves into a long lasting career. Which, to be fair to the band…they’ve pretty much already accomplished – from what I can tell, they’ve been out there since around 2013, back when they released their debut album Words With Action. I am by no means a math genius, but that gives Avenue Army an entire decade’s worth of experience under their belt…so it makes some sense that they’d sound as professional & tight as they do now. The current bio on their site definitely implies that there’s been some coming & going with the whole lineup outside of the band’s original founding member Max Bergstrom (Vocals/Rhythm Guitar) – but you wouldn’t know it from what you’re hearing in the quality of their music…sounds like a well-oiled machine at this point. Credit where credit is due, there are no discernable weak points…bassist Drew Smith, lead guitarist Vaughn Esparza, and drummer Jack Owens all competently hold down their parts and contribute to the big-ass sound that Avenue Army is creating now. If I’ve got all my details right, this shiny new single we’ve got here, “Favorite Enemy,” is from their upcoming EP called Joy Fighter.
There are a couple ways to look at a track like this one. First & foremost, it’s essentially a flawless tune, and like I’ve said hundreds of times on these pages of ours, that’s no small accomplishment. It’s always something to be extraordinarily proud of…from performance to production, they haven’t let ya down in the slightest…and more importantly, they haven’t let themselves down in that regard either. They clearly put a lot of effort into what they do when it comes time to push record, and the results confirm it. The dynamics of a track like “Favorite Enemy” and the way it moves work perfectly for this style of music, and give Avenue Army the right opportunities to build their energy up and let it detonate as they rip your speakers a new one. The solo/instrumental section is freakishly killer…if anything, I’d probably argue they could drop an extra thirty-seconds or more of something like that and they could potentially expand their fan-base even further based on the supreme musicianship they have goin’ on collectively.
The other way to look at “Favorite Enemy” isn’t quite as forgiving though…it’s very hard to argue that Avenue Army is doing a whole lot that we haven’t heard in some way, shape, or form before – and that’s a bit of a concern when it comes right down to it. Hard-Rock/Alt-Rock is just about the easiest place to drown in the sea of sameness and end up toiling in anonymity if you’re not too careful…and whether or not you’re kickin’ all the ass from start to finish perfectly isn’t gonna be quite enough to get that level of separation you’ll need from the rest to survive. So don’t get me wrong…execution-wise, Avenue Army is all aces…but they’ve still got room to challenge themselves in order to lead the way & not be following. That being said, as I remind you all the time dear readers, dear friends…it’s really all about what you wanna accomplish as a band. No one has to go into what they do with the mindset of changing the entire landscape of Rock once & for all…to be able to pull off even one song in a career as tightly as this band has done with “Favorite Enemy” is an undeniable achievement. If that’s where it starts & stops, then there ain’t no shame in that game either…I’m simply pointing out their opportunities to evolve.
As it stands, they’ve got solid hooks, they play “Favorite Enemy” with precision and passion, and I have no doubt that fans of the Alt/Rock & 2000’s Rock era will certainly find something to dig on here. Max has got a stellar voice for this style of music, and they wield their harmonies like a serious weapon as their gritty distortion & punishing beat works its magic on ya. Don’t get it twisted y’all…they play like a real force to be reckoned with, and that’s their main asset right now. If they wanna reach that next level I think they’ve still got some room to grow in order to stand out from the rest and be different, but they could also be out there onstage every night accomplishing that live too…there are plenty of ways to do it. The bottom line is that they’ve got the right pieces of the puzzle in place to go out and conquer the scene if that’s what they choose to do with all the talent they’ve got between’em, and it sure sounds like Avenue Army is ready to surge on into this next decade of its legacy full steam ahead & no holds barred.
Find out more about Avenue Army from their official website at: https://www.avenuearmy.com
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