EP REVIEW: ‘I’m Not Giving Up, I’m Just Starting Over’ by High Tides

The new EP from Nottingham band High Tides is about the situations where “sometimes you would rather pass on something than get hurt through trying”, according to vocalist Christian Lichfield. The music found on I’m Not Giving Up, I’m Just Starting Over then, is suitably tinged with yearning and and a pervasive sense of sadness, despite the uptempo music and massive choruses. Describing themselves as “putting emo into pop punk since 2015”, their sound, whilst lacking in originality, has enough emotional depth to capture people’s attentions.

 When creating such a straight-up pop punk sound, what makes the music itself stand out are the melodies and lyrics within the frame of generic conventions. High Tides have made a good effort on this release, bringing some definite sing-along moments alongside the classic fists in the air sound, as well as some lyrics that’ll no doubt be relatable to many.

 Midway through, Realisation brings the EP in a different direction, with a distinctly Moose Blood-sounding intro and an only slightly cheesy excerpt from a voice message. It’s a shame that the only downtempo moments on the release are interlude tracks, because the gentle sounding, acoustic numbers really suit them, and hearing another vocal style on the EP is a refreshing change of pace.

 For fans of pop-punk, High Tides have hit every nail on the head- the riffs, the angry drums and downbeat lyrics are all there, however playing to their strengths and not being so tied to what pop-punk should sound like will go a long way to helping them stand out above the hundreds of other pop-punk bands out there doing the same thing.

6/10

For fans of: Neck Deep, Moose Blood, The Story So Far
Words by Eloise Bulmer

‘I’m Not Giving Up, I’m Just Starting Over’ by High Tides is out now on Scylla Records.