August Premier

Considering that long time Alkaline Trio producer Matt Allison was turning the knobs for the third August Premier album "Happy Miserable", it's no surprise to find that the record contains many of the same qualities that you found on early Alkaline Trio albums. The key difference being, of course, that August Premier are essentially a melodic punk-tinged pop punk band, whereas Alkaline Trio were always driven by the gothic vs joyous contrast in their sound and lyrical universe while pioneering the switch-of-the-millennium melodic punk sound. For the undersigned, that's of course a rather favourable comparison; the album certainly contains its fair share of moments where your mind will be drawn to classic Alk3 moments from their early era.

But petty bias aside, it's far more important to recognize that August Premier aren't just an Alkaline Trio clone band. While the inspiration is undeniable particularly on "A Good Day For The Birds", "World's Away" and "Remember The Pines", the band take a similar line as American Steel in interpreting their inspiration in their own way, sometimes going deep into pop punk territory, sometimes playing out from a Foo Fighters-inspired alternative rock platform (see: "Foo Figgity" with its classic FF melody line), but most of the time acting somewhere in the middle ground between all three mentioned styles while playing great songs.

Though the songs are never immediately catchy in the same way as most modern pop punk songs, they are definitely growers. The vocal melodies have depth in them, and often strike out as well-thought out and intelligent, even if it does take a few listens to appreciate them properly. Much of this has to do with the varied vocal performance, which always remembers to add that little bit of strain and character into the singing style to stick out. It's almost like halfway into a shout or a scream at times, while contrasting that passionate performance with smooth and nicely melodic style elsewhere. This is of course exactly the dynamic Alkaline Trio have perfected ever since "Goddamnit" in 1998. Now, it may be that August Premier haven't quite written a "From Here To Infirmary" here or even "Maybe I'll Catch Fire", but for anyone who's been missing the less polished side of Alkaline Trio in recent years, this band and "Happy Miserable" could be the answer to their search of a replacement band.

For one, it has enough catch-phrases to draw your attention to it, but more importantly, the subtle melodies are too irresistible to ignore over the long run. If you like grower albums, don't miss out on "Happy Miserable". - RockFreaks.net

Considering that long time Alkaline Trio producer Matt Allison was turning the knobs for the third August Premier album "Happy Miserable", it's no surprise to find that the record contains many of the same qualities that you found on early Alkaline Trio albums. The key difference being, of course, that August Premier are essentially a melodic punk-tinged pop punk band, whereas Alkaline Trio were always driven by the gothic vs joyous contrast in their sound and lyrical universe while pioneering the switch-of-the-millennium melodic punk sound. For the undersigned, that's of course a rather favourable comparison; the album certainly contains its fair share of moments where your mind will be drawn to classic Alk3 moments from their early era.

But petty bias aside, it's far more important to recognize that August Premier aren't just an Alkaline Trio clone band. While the inspiration is undeniable particularly on "A Good Day For The Birds", "World's Away" and "Remember The Pines", the band take a similar line as American Steel in interpreting their inspiration in their own way, sometimes going deep into pop punk territory, sometimes playing out from a Foo Fighters-inspired alternative rock platform (see: "Foo Figgity" with its classic FF melody line), but most of the time acting somewhere in the middle ground between all three mentioned styles while playing great songs.

Though the songs are never immediately catchy in the same way as most modern pop punk songs, they are definitely growers. The vocal melodies have depth in them, and often strike out as well-thought out and intelligent, even if it does take a few listens to appreciate them properly. Much of this has to do with the varied vocal performance, which always remembers to add that little bit of strain and character into the singing style to stick out. It's almost like halfway into a shout or a scream at times, while contrasting that passionate performance with smooth and nicely melodic style elsewhere. This is of course exactly the dynamic Alkaline Trio have perfected ever since "Goddamnit" in 1998. Now, it may be that August Premier haven't quite written a "From Here To Infirmary" here or even "Maybe I'll Catch Fire", but for anyone who's been missing the less polished side of Alkaline Trio in recent years, this band and "Happy Miserable" could be the answer to their search of a replacement band.

For one, it has enough catch-phrases to draw your attention to it, but more importantly, the subtle melodies are too irresistible to ignore over the long run. If you like grower albums, don't miss out on "Happy Miserable". - RockFreaks.net

August Premier’s latest record, Happy Miserable, is a fantastic blast of 10 melodic pop punk gems in the vein of Gameface, Samiam, and The Loved Ones. In fact, August Premier really has that mid-tempo style that is mostly pop punk but is on the verge of crossing over to melodic and post hardcore down pat. One review of the record stated
“…August Premier delivers hard-charging and anthemic blue-collar pop-punk-rock that sounds distinctly Chicago but is deceptively hard to pigeonhole. With nods to everything from Rise Against to Journey to Alkaline Trio, Happy Miserable brings a palatable sense of longing to the table and sounds instantly familiar.”
I think that is a very fair description of the record. In fact a lot of the reviews of Happy Miserable that I’ve seen make comparisons and/or references to Alkaline Trio. Admittedly I really don’t hear that much Alkaline Trio (or Rise Against for that matter) in August Premier but I can see how people would make that comparison. The band that I would compare August Premier to more than any other is The Loved Ones. There is that same sense of energy and melody in Happy Miserable that has made ever Loved Ones release so epicly good. And this record is really, really, really, really freaking good. Trying to pick out a favorite track or a standout moment is pretty much impossible because top to bottom Happy Miserable is one of the best records not only of the year, but in this genre. - Oklahoma Lefty

August Premier’s latest record, Happy Miserable, is a fantastic blast of 10 melodic pop punk gems in the vein of Gameface, Samiam, and The Loved Ones. In fact, August Premier really has that mid-tempo style that is mostly pop punk but is on the verge of crossing over to melodic and post hardcore down pat. One review of the record stated
“…August Premier delivers hard-charging and anthemic blue-collar pop-punk-rock that sounds distinctly Chicago but is deceptively hard to pigeonhole. With nods to everything from Rise Against to Journey to Alkaline Trio, Happy Miserable brings a palatable sense of longing to the table and sounds instantly familiar.”
I think that is a very fair description of the record. In fact a lot of the reviews of Happy Miserable that I’ve seen make comparisons and/or references to Alkaline Trio. Admittedly I really don’t hear that much Alkaline Trio (or Rise Against for that matter) in August Premier but I can see how people would make that comparison. The band that I would compare August Premier to more than any other is The Loved Ones. There is that same sense of energy and melody in Happy Miserable that has made ever Loved Ones release so epicly good. And this record is really, really, really, really freaking good. Trying to pick out a favorite track or a standout moment is pretty much impossible because top to bottom Happy Miserable is one of the best records not only of the year, but in this genre. - Oklahoma Lefty