I love how I come to know of bands at times. Settle Your Scores is one of those bands. Before September 6 of last year I had never listened to this band, I had heard of them but never gave them a chance. On that day I had plans to go see Taking Back Sunday, one of my all-time favorite bands. A show I had been excited about for months. However the morning of, I decided I didn’t want to go. I also was a little under the weather and wanted to rest a little that day. I ended up going to a smaller show at Woodlands here in Columbus, with a line-up of Second Story Anthem, Heroes like Villains, Settle Your Scores and Crunkasauras Rex. Not only did that show turn out to be my show of the summer and the year as a whole but it introduced me to some really awesome bands. One of them been Settle Your Scores.

Fast forward to now or two weeks ago, we get the first great album of 2016. And that album is “The Wilderness” by Settle Your Scores a pop-punk/easycore band from Cincinnati, OH. Let me just say if I were younger it would resonate more with me than it already does. I think that’s the first things that sticks out about this release, it is very relatable. That is something that music needs. I feel for a while that was lacking, especially in pop-punk and easycore. With this release that is about to change.

In talking about albums and songs that are relatable, Settle Your Scores does not waste any time with this. The third track, “Life: A Fate Worse than Death” tackles a subject matter that I myself and countless others deal with every day, been stuck in a rut in life. Even with a line about escaping the town in which one lives in, this song hits it on the head. Then there is this line, “with the weight of the world crashing down on my head, it’s no surprise that I can barely drag myself out of bed, when every day is the same. Feels like I’m wasting away. This monotony is killing me. My life is like a broken record still stuck on repeat.” Man, who does not feel that at times? That is my normal state. Another song that hits home for me is “Behind the Scene/Nothing without you.” This has to do with friends and how they support us in life. How at times we would not be doing the things we are without them. This applies to anything in life. I truly believe without the support and help of others we fail. Of course no pop-punk album would be complete without a song about an ex. The song in point here is “If Loose Lips Sink Ships, Then You’re the Titanic” We all love a good song about an ex. I tend to find them entertaining. Does that mean I enjoy the pain and misery of others?

Another aspect I like about this album is you can clearly hear their influences. At any given point I can hear anything from early Wonder Years to Four Year Strong to A Day to Remember. If these are some of the bands that SYS looks up to then they have a bright future in front of them. Over time they will start to develop their own sound and once that happens, the world is theirs for the taking. And believe me it will happen. This is a band that has the ability to blow up over the next year or so. Keep your eye on them.

4.7/5

Oh and if you are in the Columbus, Oh area, they have a show on the 27^th of this month at Woodlands for the Heroes like Villains EP release show.