Get Stoked - Washingtong Street

James Cassar | August 30, 2014

It’s easy to make the assumption that a band whose latest EP recycles motifs from Rotting Out and The Story So Far in its album artwork would understandably regurgitate some unruly cocktail of hardcore-kissed pop-punk. On Washington Street, Michigan’s Get Stoked do attempt to mix genres as countless outfits have done before them, but the result ultimately retreads old ground and leaves less to be excited about than their name suggests.

 

The EP’s short length is extended by the inclusion of an intro track, which serves as an apt reminder of what sonic blending sets out to do 

in the scene. Clean guitar cycles in front of distant feedback before the rest of the assault, driven by dirty chords and cymbal-loaded percussion, takes place. The ninety-second detour tilts closer to pop-punk than hardcore, although a shrewd inkling of double-bass kicks bring the group’s secondary identity to the forefront, before the entire affair fades away.

 

It’s a shame that Washington Street’s first stretch foregoes vocals, because the delivery exhibited by frontman Cameron Wheeler combines the soaring agenda of The Audition’s Danny Stevens with the gritty undertones of Four Year Strong’s Dan O’Connor. The result is as palatable as it sounds, with tracks like the scathing “Hand in Your Demise” and the double-time diary entry “Forward Progress” oozes with both power-pop accessibility and hard-edged tenacity. The latter track best illustrates this dichotomy, with its final minute unfolding with well-executed gang vocals dismantling to make way for a smooth parting thought against mid-tempo acoustic guitar.

 

That’s not to say the lyrics Wheeler spits into a microphone share the same novel approach. Instead, we’re treated to tired tropes of failed relationships and one-dimensional self-awareness that have overstayed their welcome in pop-punk. If “Actions Speak Louder Than Words,” a line such as “But hey, who’s to blame but yourself?” falls flat against the hyperactive musicianship that it’s stacked against. It’s clear that Washington Street is a time capsule deeply rooted in the minutiae surrounding the members’ “campus li[ves],” as spelled out on the EP’s title track. Yet, this glimpse into Get Stoked’s college careers isn’t as mature as one could hope. However, Washington Street slides by in its first class in the hopes that it’ll find Get Stoked hitting the books harder to come out on top for their next release.