King for a Day is an impressive new emo punk band hailing from the Detroit area who should not be avoided simply because of their emo tag. Emo stands for emotional punk or hardcore, which is a minor detour for the majority of punk and hardcore. Although some emo bands have taken the road to pop stardom (i.e.,
Promise Ring),
King for a Day retains a harder-edged sound akin to
Hot Water Music or
Texas is the Reason. Certainly not for everyone,
KFAD is skilled at constructing wonderfully catchy harmonies built around a thick, guitar-filled chorus full of frantic emotion. Rick Paulger is an amazing vocalist. He does not come off sounding whiny, which is a major criticism of emo. Instead, he soars above the band with desperate conviction, approaching the style set forth by
Falling Forward. Ultimately, this solidifies the impact of each song, making for a more emotionally convincing listen. This is most evident on the albums best track, "Lost and Found," a song full of simple guitar melodies, and a pummeling chorus, which tears at the heartstrings with a quiet desperation contained in Paulger's vocals.
KFAD has component musicians who strive to write great music, which, albeit is not revolutionary, fulfills its purpose by creating wonderful, heartfelt songs. For the unfamiliar, think
Fugazi's early musical style mixed with Elliot's emotional nature. The band is young, with quite a bit of growing room ahead of them. With this, they have served up a fantastic release worth the attention of every emo fan. Bask in the glory of
King for a Day. ~ Jason Hundey