Hey Monday - Hold On Tight

Hey Monday are a female-fronted pop-rock band. As a result, there was more chance of them sweeping the board at the Grammys with Hold On Tight, their debut release, than there was of them avoiding the inevitable comparisons with Paramore. While the latter boast some undeniably more sophisticated songwriting skills, Hey Monday have an immediacy in its place.

Singer Cassadee Pope isn't exactly knocking down the boundaries of creativity with her lyrics, but the moment she opens her mouth on the record it hardly seems to matter. “How You Love Me Now” has a “whoa-oh” hook that drips with the desire to be sung back and a chorus so huge you could ride it across the Atlantic. It's run-of-the-mill three chord pop-punk that manages to avoid the 'cliché' category; Hold On Tight might not go down as a classic album of the 21^st century but it's deliriously bouncy and undeniably of a higher quality than the usual American output that's often more “pop” than “punk”. The real gem is “Arizona”, the album closer, which leaves you with a real kick in the teeth as Pope shows Hayley Williams how to walk the fine line between massive vocals and whining. Put it on and jump repeatedly around the room.

RM