Traditions Sing Honest Pop Punk on 'Cycles' EP

Digital, CD and Vinyl copies of Cycles available now on Bandcamp

While every other band is fighting to claim they have the most oppression to overcome, the biggest heart break to sing about or the least amount of fucks to give, Western MA pop punkers in Traditions introduce themselves as a band that acknowledges they’re probably retelling a story in a similar fashion, they’re just doing it their way. "Every story has been written already. We know this. We’re just trying to be honest and give everyone our version."

This mission statement either sets the bar or levels the playing field of expectations for what you are about to hear.

A group that builds their foundation on the economical notation that they are not reinventing the wheel, Traditions focuses their energy on tweaking what has already been done into their own debut project: Cycles, a record that bleeds high fructose pop punk blood.

"We understand that while it’s nearly impossible to be 100% unique and not be influenced by some of “the wave” that a lot of bands ride, we need to make music that is true to ourselves in order to hope for a career that may someday sustain itself," explains singer/guitarist Randy Burlingame. "I’m sure some people are turned off by our honesty and transparency, but that’s fine by me. We want people to relate to the real us, not some drawn up fictional version that might acquire us more fans."

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Although I do believe a genre only provides limitations if you choose to accept them (I'm looking at you CraigReviewsMusic.com), Traditions embraces the quintessential qualities of early millennium bands like Senses Fail for the majority of their 5-song EP, which results in a pallet of predictable shades. Perhaps it is in fact because I've heard this story so many times before. The band does however break stride on the anthematic “Progression / Regression” for the punkest of Cycles' tracks. I predict that given the opportunity to record a full length, Traditions might be able to establish their diversity, now that they've gotten their branding out of the way.

Traditions isn’t out to show you something new. And being so eager to point out this indisputable fact may be counterintuitive. Nevertheless, they are letting you know that they can play the notes just as well as they attempt to put a stake in the ground of the pop punk scene.

You can catch Traditions as they kick off the first Mass Apparel monthly in-store acoustic show at 383 Cambridge St., Allston on June 6th along with No Tide and Storm the Bay. Allston - Free Music - Free pizza!

Cycles (Take This To Heart Records) is available for streaming and purchase (vinyl, CD, digital) on Bandcamp. Follow Traditions on Facebook and Twitter for additional release information and show dates.