Transit – Young New England

Transit had a lot to live up to with this fourth full-length after the jaw-dropping success of Listen & Forgive, a blistering and passionate effort bringing back the long lost fringed genre known as emo with a sunny edge. Undoubtedly, Young New England will dominate the summer playlists of many with its upbeat tempo laced with dark and emotional undertones, demonstrating further maturity and progression whilst also losing none of the qualities that has built them firm fan base.

It is already apparent that opening track Nothing Lasts Forever will fast become a toe-tapping classic; it jumps straight into a driving and light-hearted riff, reminiscent of lazy summer days and all that they hold. The layers of this song and indeed the album is what really makes it stand out to me, beneath the instrumentals making the limbs jerk and shake, the lyrics hold a sombre air, repeating over and over that “nothing lasts forever” and overall, covering the notion of loss. It is this that makes Transit so utterly relatable.

Personal favourite Young New England strays more to the folk end of the spectrum than the usual indie/alt-rock/emo/pop-punk blend that Transit are known for but it works incredibly well. Group vocals over an the sharp twang of a guitar swaying into repetitive chords that accentuate said vocals, gives an intimate, friendly feel as if sang in unison, you belong to this unison.

Both So Long, So Long & Weather Souls summarise why you should love Transit, and indeed why many do, but they also show the progression the band have made as a whole. Lyrically and instrumentally it demonstrates the solemn tone a lot of their songs cover and sound very similar to hit singles All Your Heart and Listen and Forgive but also play with different musical techniques, sunny riffs and more ambitious use of vocals, guitars, drums and bass to really bring out their respective sound and showcase their talents in their fullest.

Gem of the album Thanks For Nothing starts the way 90s power ballads did with a slightly damp sounding synth, it seems really out of place on this album but it is absolutely fantastic. It quickly moves from this to Boynton’s vocals soaring through your mind, the rest of the band backing him with “woah oh ohs!” throughout and the prominent sound of a bass chugging along. The album exits as strongly as it entered with Lake Q showing, more prominently than before, the sheer sharpness of the guitars within the album and showing why you would be mad top dismiss Transit as a band.

It is always risky to change your sound, some consider it progress, some a massive screw up; but it is without a doubt that Transit has made the right decision to experiment instead of getting comfortable within their style and have improved drastically from prior releases.

transitband.com