Never Disappear – Skyway

Never Disappear is the new EP from the pop-punk trio Skyway, out of Buffalo, NY. There are some artists sharing the same name, even in the same genre, so searching for the band online is a slight hassle.

Skyway plays pretty classic American guitar-driven pop-punk, no more, no less. They wear their influences on the sleeve, and it’s clear that they know, and love, their genre. It sounds a bit like Jimmy Eat World meets MxPx with some New Found Glory thrown into the mix. There are some skate-punk influences to be heard as well.

Opener Breakwall is a song that, if you’re into genre, feels like you might have heard before. It’s lyrically slightly bland, however the band shows that they know how to write hooks and handle breakdowns in the music. Which is true for the rest of the EP as well. It feels like pop-punk for grown-ups, lyrically being pretty mature in the themes. Such as being yourself, however shitty you feel (Swear Jar, my favourite on the EP), not caring how you go out but more what you’re leaving behind (The Longest Line) and not wanting to party (Don’t Want to Party). This is three guys that have some life experience under their belts, and apart from the opener I feel that the lyrics resonate with me, being 35+ now.

Skyway knows how to write and play pop-punk, that much is clear on Never Disappear. On this EP they lack a little bit of uniqueness in my opinion though. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it sounds generic, but I think it’s easy to mix them up with fellow genre-colleagues. That also makes it hard to know who to recommend this to. Fans of the genre run the risk of feeling like they’ve heard it before, and newcomers to the genre have other places to start. It speaks to me when I listen, but doesn’t really stick with me afterwards. I’d say it’s worth a listen though, it’s such a short investment time-wise, and its well-crafted music in the end.