Ask any Warped Tour fledglings their goals for the future and getting signed to Fearless Records will surely be up there. It’s home to success stories like Pierce The Veil, Tonight Alive and As It Is, and newcomers are desperate to follow in their footsteps. Manchester’s Milestones have done just that, and the release of their debut EP Equal Measures with the label is sure to turn a few heads.
It’s clear less than a minute into Equal Measures why Fearless signed Milestones. Opener Call Me A Disaster’s huge chorus is all too irresistible, especially for Fearless fans. It may be light as a feather (despite the odd gang chant “oh” adding stabs of substance) but it’s all too easy to imagine this being played on arena stages in support of someone like All Time Low. Following track Hindsight is a highlight too, being the most mature, weighty cut on the record yet still possessing a magnetic draw.
While earnest, honest songwriting is a core part of Equal Measures, these first two tracks prove that it’s only an interesting factor when paired with alluring hooks. Milestones do have songwriting finesse – a remarkable amount for a band on their debut release – and it shows throughout Equal Measures, but the more sentimental title track and uncatchy Nothing Left suffer from focusing more on emotion than personality. They come off as lukewarm, especially when sandwiched between a stellar opening two tracks and the epic Shot In The Dark – a song that actually embraces being a ballad fully instead of just having ballady undertones and not much to captivate.
That being said, Equal Measures is definitely an EP Milestones can be proud of; there are bands a few albums into their career hoping to achieve a sound like this. Their bonafide pop-rock tracks are where the most potential can be found, but a little tweaking on their ballads and they could take Mayday Parade’s place in the scene. One thing’s for sure, though – Fearless have definitely made a good move here.
7/10
For fans of: You Me At Six, Mayday Parade, Mallory Knox
Words by Georgia Jackson
‘Equal Measures’ by Milestones is out now on Fearless Records.
