What’s the secret to making a breakthrough hit song? Jimmy Eat World’s Jim Adkins says it took him minutes to write “The Middle.” On the other hand, The Beatles’ first single was a cover written by tour-mate Tony Sheridan. Not exactly to put them in the same class as rock legends, yet, but such is where Here’s The Riot find themselves after releasing Tonight We’re Alive.
The EP is a power chord symphony. It’s a relatively dynamic hard-rock record that can be soft at times, while getting crunchy again real fast.
While they’re compared to bands like Imagine Dragons, 3 Doors Down or the Foo Fighters, I’d simply say they’re a hard rock band with heavy metal influences that still have enough dash of pop to draw in a wider audience.
Lead singer and guitarist Paris Tompkins certainly has the vocal chops to carry this kind of band. He knows his brand and does it well. Eric Reymond and Victor Singer are also incredibly solid playing bass and drums under a genre that can be very difficult to maneuver, especially when thinking creatively.
As ridiculous as the lyrics are, my favorite track on Tonight We’re Alive is “TTMFU.” I absolutely love the composition of the song; it’s one that could obviously be fantastic as a live opener.
The band is doing a lot right. Their single “Love Makes Me Crazy” is already featured on the hit TV
show One Mississippi. And hey, they say TV is the new radio, right?
It’s hard to measure what it takes to be a hit rock band with a hit song. But for a debut project in 2017, “Here’s The Riot” couldn’t do much better. It’s hard to see them failing as long as they keep pumping out material, given that they are also great live.
Josh Helmuth is an editor for Crave and a longtime music lover whose first record was Eric Clapton. However, his first concert? That choice he will take to the grave.
Listen to Tonight We’re Alive by Here’s The Riot here.
