Transit are from Stoneham, Massachusetts and are another one of those indie/pop-punk bands that have been popping up all over, but they didn't just pop up; they've been around for a few years now. They actually have quite a few releases prior to their newest effort, Something Left Behind. You can check out their other material at their bandcamp if you want, I highly recommend it. Really, Something Left Behind is just three original songs with an acoustic reprise of one song off of each of their other releases, so checking out their older stuff is a good idea.
I feel like this album might as well have just held me at gunpoint and told me to like it. I mean, there's plenty of other reasons I can give for how compelled I feel to love it, though. The fact that there's awesome lead guitar throughout every song, and the lyrics are better than anything I've heard this year. Joe Boynton's vocals glisten over brilliant instrumentals created by the guitarists and rhythm section, along with the perfect backup vocals by Joe Lacy and Tim Landers (guitarists). I honestly don't think I've heard anything like this. I should've been paying attention to Transit for years now...I must be an idiot or something. I've been listening to all of their material for a week now, and even though everything is amazing, this new release honestly blows me away.
At the start of the album, "Indoor Voices" brings you into what will be an entirely positive listening experience. The guitar is beautiful, and the vocals are solid. The lyrics for this track rules my life right now. "And I'm getting tired of being told/that you're only one person to the world/when to one person/you could be the world." There's this awesome, cathartic build up towards the end of the song, with awesome backup vocals and an atmosphere that just sucks you in. Most of the songs on this album will suck you in, especially "For the World", that song fucking rocks. The vocals feel honest and vulnerable, and the guitar continues carrying out its complicated coolness throughout this brilliant acoustic reprise. You really can't beat this shit.
Like "For the World", most of this EP are just incredible acoustic renditions of songs already released by Transit, while there are still a few new songs. The title track, "Something Left Behind" is a really pretty sounding new song that fits the general feel of the rest of the album. It doesn't feel too different from the other songs, but that's what it means to stick to your guns. The backup vocals are amazing and I'm happy to hear drums, since they are absent on a few of the songs. Another thing absent on most songs is an electric guitrar, which is why I really like the song "1978" on here. It has the feel of a power pop song and the musicality of a...well I guess it has the musicality of a Transit song. I guess Transit could be used as a new unit of measuring how good a band's instrumentals are now.
I suggest you check out all of their other albums on their bandcamp like I suggested earlier, and if you like what you hear you should definitely get your hands on Something Left Behind. The easiest way to do so is getting it off of iTunes. 8/10 or something.
-Idle
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