Main Street Detour – “This Can’t End Well” Review
Main Street Detour, a local pop punk band from Penn State Beaver, released their first EP Nov. 27. Titled “This Can’t End Well,” the EP contains 7 songs inspired by bands such as Green Day and Blink-182.
The EP’s overall theme deals with sour experiences in relationships and how many people in this generation don’t want to settle for one.
Another unifier is the cohesivity of the album — each song has a slightly different sound but is consistent with the song before it.
The overall instrumental of the album is certainly reminiscent of the bands that inspired them. This can also be said for the singing with vocalists Sam Slavinsky and Shane Cepull capturing the same level of vocals a lot of pop-rock bands are known for.
“This Can’t End Well” opens with an instrumental piece titled “Nevergreen,” which gives a nice opening to the instruments of the album and provides the band a solid introduction with how well they play their instruments.
The next song on the album is titled “Pick One,” which is actually the band's first original song. Featuring both Slavinsky in the verses while Cepull tackles the chorus, “Pick One” details lying and leading people on only to drop them.
The song “Real Eyes” brings this to another level, taking the listener through a story about a relationship that just doesn’t go anywhere and lacks support. The title song “This Can’t End Well” goes after that feeling most people have when going to ask out their crush.
Finally, “War Stories” is a metaphorical piece. The lyrics describe what one may take as a soldier going to war but what it’s truly describing is someone not agreeing with their partner and butting heads with them even though they both may want the same thing.
The only song that breaks away from this general theme is “Simple Truth,” which describes a person who “rides a high horse” and doesn’t acknowledge personal flaws while also living with an “ignorance is bliss” mindset.
The album has good cohesion and can be listened to within a simple car ride. Which, in an odd way, makes it a nice, convenient package for a listener looking for a quick burst of classic pop-rock.
One thing that could possibly be improved is vocal quality. There are times where it is difficult to hear what the singer is saying and can obviously be contributed to limitations. Otherwise, the qualityof the guitars, drums and even the brief bits of screaming vocals are all well done.
That all being said, while the album is fun to listen to, it is very basic in design with each song seemingly being a variation on one core instrumental.
One thing Main Street Detour can do moving onto their second album is different styles, making individual songs sound more unique to themselves.
Overall, “This Can’t End Well” may be just a quick listen, but it is a joyride the entire time. From the opening instrumental to each song representing its pop-punk roots, the EP is a successful first step for Main Street Detour.
Any listener who appreciates Green Day or Blink-182 will surely appreciate Main Street Detour.
Rating: 6/10
Reviewer’s Favorite Song: “War Stories”
Reviewer’s Least Favorite Song: “New Days”
Colton Pleslusky is a junior majoring in telecommunications. To contact him, email csp5289@psu.edu.
