Album Review: Press To MECO – Here’s To The Fatigue

Record Label: Marshall Records

Release Date: 30th March 2018

Genre: Alternative Rock

Press To MECO have been touring almost non-stop since November, with their headline tour, Arcane Roots, Sikth and Don Broco however, even then the Crawley based trio have had time to record and publicise their upcoming sophomore record Here’s To The Fatigue. With close harmonies, brilliant riffs, stunning lyrics and really bouncy bass-lines this whole record only has room for bangers which they achieve brilliantly.

The whole record kicks off with this awesome introduction which contains some really awesome baselines and riffs. It builds up with influences from ‘Familiar Ground’ which follows on from it and sets this awesome tone for the rest of the record. Next up we have Press To MECO’s most recent single ‘Familiar Ground’ which goes straight into this awesome upbeat riff in which it seems almost criminal not to jump around to. The verse contains some awesome and incredibly catchy harmonies and lyrics and from there the chorus does the exact same thing and builds on the wonderful energy we get during the introduction. ‘Familiar Ground’ even contains an awesome instrumental breakdown which you can really get your mosh on to. There is nothing to dislike about this song, it’s a pop-punk moshers idea of heaven.

Next up we have the title track ‘Here’s To The Fatigue’ which was another one of their singles. With a strong and loud introduction as well as another catchy verse this song gives very good vibes within the first 30 seconds. By the time we get to the pre-chorus we are blessed with this awesome futuristic guitar line played by Luke Caley as well as building vocals which lead to this brilliantly angry chorus which you could easily picture being performed in large scale venues. ‘If All Your Parts Don’t Make A Whole’ is up next with one of the main melodic ideas being played by the guitars in the introduction it certainly makes it stand out, the lyrics are incredibly catchy and the use of all three of their vocals really makes them stand out from other bands who only have one singer. The chorus is high energy but contrasts greatly against the slower sections of the song which makes it so effective and a really musically complex and awesome track.

Up next is ‘Skip The Crawl’ which is this fast paced, riff-tastic masterpiece. This riff continues in the verse which then builds into this powerful and really memorable chorus which hits all of the right notes to make you feel weirdly emotional. The bassline played by Adam Roffey is really effective too especially in the ways that it echoes the original riff played by Caley. It’s just a really really good song, but then again it’s Press To MECO so could you expect anything less? The bridge in ‘Skip The Crawl’ is pretty sick too as everything cuts out and we are blessed with this awesome vocal melody which is repeated with those harmonies we know and love. It even has a key change. ‘Skip The Crawl’ honestly has everything an awesome song needs. After this high tempo wonder we have ‘A Place In It All’ which really takes the mood down to this beautiful little acoustic song which we haven’t really heard from Press To MECO so this is really cool to hear. It splits up the album perfectly and is just a really pretty song which builds effortlessly with the instrumentation and the light drum lines played by Lewis Williams. Suddenly the band’s noise increases to this climax which fits the song perfectly and really reflects the lyrics and keeps the attention of the listener.

Following on from this we have ‘Howl’ which is dominated by this deep bassy tone and is just a really mental song. It’s packed with energy which although tones down slightly in the verse is still unlined with this fast riff. As well as this it has a really pretty guitar melody in the pre-chorus. The chorus is slower compared to their other songs but it works so well and is just really nice to listen to. ‘Howl’ even ends with people howling, what isn’t there to love? ‘A Quick Fix’ is up next which opens with this awesome riff played by Caley and Roffey and has angry and fast vocals in the verse. This really contrasts with the slow and gentle pre-chorus and even the chorus which takes on a completely different tone, this isn’t however out of place at all as it fits the PTM style perfectly. It even ends with the same kind of riff at the start which gradually slows down to this epic finish.

‘Itchy Fingers’ is certainly a personal favourite of mine, with this awesome melody in the guitars and vocals and a somewhat dissonant feel to it, it’s really freaking cool. The verse has this unsettled feel due to the chord progression and it builds perfectly to the angrily sung/shouted pre-chorus bit which I am absolutely in love with. It’s such an awesome song and would be brilliant live, even the chorus contains these brilliant vocals and melody line and it’s honestly such a banger. The bridge of ‘Itchy Fingers’ really strips it down to bass and the vocals which create such an eery feel and is just the perfect way to climax to this fast paced final chorus. Track number 10 is ‘The Things That We Don’t Talk About’ which is this awesome pop-punk anthem. The chorus is packed with energy which is perfect to dance around to as well as to scream the lyrics loudly to. The verse brings this energy down which gives everyone time to cool down from the amount of energy involved in the chorus but it’s utterly brilliant.

The record gets tied up very nicely with the final track ‘White Knuckling’ opening with a light guitar riff and relatively quiet vocals this builds into this badass chorus which encompasses this awesome mix of so many genres and is just the most perfect way to finish the record. This is one of my favourite songs maybe ever and it’s so easy to see why. There’s these awesome little sections that really stand out to me especially when they build into these heavier sections which turn into quieter variations of the main chorus idea. ‘White Knuckling’ just gets better and better as the song goes on and is generally just a brilliant song which transitions through so many musical genres, it even sounds a bit like Green Day at some points.

Album of the year? Oh yeah, it’s certainly one of them. If you could only pick up one new record this year I thoroughly recommend it being Here’s To The Fatigue. Press To MECO are the new face of alternative rock music and they are changing the scene for good. Here’s To The Fatigue does not have any bad songs, every song is incredibly strong and could fill arenas, this record is meant to be played live.

Recommended Songs: White Knuckling, Itchy Fingers, If All Your Parts Don’t Make A Whole

Rating: 10/10

Check out our interview with Press To MECO here.

Here’s To The Fatigue comes out on March 30th Via Marshall Records and you can preorder it here.

Follow Press To MECO on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Press to MECO Live 2018

30.03 – Kingston, Banquet Records – Tickets
11.04 – London, The Black Heart – Tickets
04.05 – Dorset, Teddy Rocks Festival
02.06 – London, Camden Rocks Festival
13.07 – Cheltenham, 2000 Trees Festival
08.09 – Corby, Rocked Up Hootenany