Send "Every Avenue " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Absolutepunk |
 There are plenty of bad habits in modern pop-rock music today. Cliché lyrics, tired formulas, and excessive autotune are just a few examples that have recently plagued such pop-rock acts like All Time Low, Mayday Parade, and The Maine. Thankfully, Every Avenue avoid each pitfall on their third album, Bad Habits. The 10 tracks display a remarkable improvement from the Michigan quintet from their previous two releases, as they flex some aggressive guitar work and refined songwriting while maintaining their knack for writing catchy pop hooks.“Tie Me Down” kicks off with soaring guitars (courtesy of Joshua Withenshaw and Jimmie Deeghan) that energetically builds into an infectious chorus, as vocalist Dave Strauchman recalls a failed relationship (“Tie me down/and fuck me up tonight/rip my heart out/hurt me good before you say goodbye/let's do this right now"). Such content serves as the general theme throughout Bad Habits, as Strauchman touches on it again during the foot-stomping “Hit Me Where It Hurts The Most.” Paced by the rhythm section of drummer Dennis Wilson and bassist Matt Black, Strauchman pleads, “Hit me where it hurts the most/Break me down to the bone/You wouldn’t be the first/It can’t get any worse/just hit me where it hurts the most.” The raucous (if a little bit cheesy) “No One But You” features Strauchman howling for some consequence-free fun, while bitterness has never sounded so pristine on the radio-ready “Fall Apart.” But it's not all animosity on the album, as the band delves into how their relationships suffer from constant touring (“There Tonight” and “Someday, Somehow”). The power-pop balladry of “Only Place I Call Home” is one of the highlights on Bad Habits, as Strauchman absolutely belts it over a nicely layered chorus (Withenshaw and Deeghan's guitar work continues to shine here). He reaches the tipping point on the delicate “I Can't Not Love You,” as his head wages war on his heart over some Ben Folds-esqe piano chords. Despite the everything that has been spilled on Bad Habits, the band finds some clarity on closing anthem, “Watch The World.”...full text |
| Sputnikmusic |
| “I feel like the last record had a little bit more of a pop vibe to it,” David Strauchman told Alternative Press earlier this year regarding Every Avenue's 2009 release, Picture Perfect. “You come and see Every Avenue live, and we’re a rock band, we’ve always been a rock band.” Follow-up Bad Habits, then, according to Strauchman, is Every Avenue's attempt this year at sounding like that very live band he spoke of Every Avenue as being: “We just wanted to make a record that sounded like us getting together and playing these songs live in a room. I feel like that is what we did.” The end result disagrees with Strauchman to be honest, however: Bad Habits sounds nothing like a band playing live with each of its members in the same room, much less the band's members even writing the songs themselves with each other in the same room either. Every Avenue seem to think that making the vocal melodies weaker, without changing the instrumental tempos and dynamics of their music, therefore makes their music harder, or rather rocky-er – which is ridiculous. Granted, lyrically the band is more hard-edged and, uh, mean, you could say, but this doesn't make Every Avenue any more rockin' than they were two years ago. On opener “Tie Me Down”, Strauchman pleads to his - or someone's - woman to “tie me down and fuck me up, baby / rip my heart out.” And on “Fall Apart”, a cut that would have easily sat in the fold-out chairs of Picture Perfect's sunny beach party, he angrily declares: “I want you to fall apart like I did / You to hurt for all of this.” Indeed, gone are the We The Kings-like lovey-dove-y tenderness of past records: Every Avenue are lyrically pissed, but their music ultimately betrays them, though. “Hit Me Where It Hurts” is full of hand-claps but comes along with forgettable hooks and cheap instrumental reprieves as well, and “I Can't Not Love You” betrays Every Avenue altogether with its sappy lyrics and Strauchman's baffling attempt at being Elton John. Where's the music's harder rock edge on that one, boys?...full text |
| Soundscenepress |
| With their new record, Bad Habits, the members of Every Avenue have turned themselves and their music in a slightly different direction. The band’s previous tendencies generally fell closer to a pop-punk label. Bad Habits steps up to the plate and immediately swings in the direction of rock and roll. After a few times through the record, it really starts to catch on. Unfortunately, it also leaves a desire for more, especially in the sense that the band didn’t really make a strong effort to be overly innovative. It seems as though they were happy to make a standard rock record, which is all well and good, except for the fact that many could take it or leave it. This makes it apparent that Bad Habits may not be record of the year, however, Every Avenue also managed to incorporate several bright spots into the disc. The sixth track of the album, “Only Place I Call Home,” very well may be one of the bands best of their career and one of vocalist David Strauchman’s best efforts as well. His slightly raspy voice shines through, with a softer sound, while the song’s lyrics make it one of the most meaningful on the record. Other key tracks that appear on the album include “Someday, Somehow,” “There Tonight,” and the first single from the album, “Whatever Happened To You,” which sets the pace of the CD as the second track. With the notable songs that made their way onto the record, Every Avenue could have something brewing if they’re aiming to jump to a major label. The band needs to be willing to take some risks and try new things on their next effort though. If they can manage to be creative, and provide plenty of hooks next time, they could be poised to make their way into more of a mainstream spotlight....full text |
Every Avenue lyrics
|
| |||||||
