Adam KeysMy Ticket Home – unReal (Spinefarm Records)
Genre – Self-proclaimed puke rock
Ohio’s My Ticket Home have fashioned their own sub-genre – puke rock – a sound that derives from a mixture of alt rock, metalcore and hardcore. unReal marks album number three for the four piece and sees them make their Spinefarm debut.
Spinefarm is a label famed for its love of punching rock and roll, filled with raging riffs, and My Ticket Home waste no time showing they more than belong on the iconic Finnish label. From the opening chords of Thrush, the boys fly out of the traps with a flurry of sharp electric sounds.
These big sounds are a recurring theme throughout the album. Even when they slow the pace, there is still something big about their sound. This big sound is beautifully raw, bringing all the ruggedness of a live alt rock show, and going some way to explaining the puke rock angle.
Producer Fred Archambault deserves a huge amount of credit for his work on this album. He’s managed to capture the raw, rugged energy of a live show, with plenty of distortion oozing out of the speakers. This really comes to life in Flypaper, which in truth is your quintessential alt rock/nu metal track – fast, slow, powerful, soft and loaded with a fist pumping chorus.
My Ticket Home have never had any trouble writing big songs with a great hook, but there’s a greater maturity about unReal than To Create A Cure and Strangers Only. Tracks like Hyperreal and Gasoline Kiss display their ability to take the audience to peak excitement, then rein in back, only to unleash that ferocious sound once again.
The energy of this album is phenomenal, and the upbeat tracks really stand out, but with Joi My Ticket Home show their ability to write a slower rock track. The track has all the emotions and honesty you’d expect from a mid-album breather, but it still packs all the punch you’d expect from a puke rock band.
Vocally Nick Giumenti is on point from start to finish, while Marshal Giumenti’s drumming is a joy to behold. Marshal’s ability to kick the shit out of this kit, then slow it down and show his delicate side within seconds really makes this album pop. Derek Blevins and Matt Gallucci also deserve a mention for the immense variety their contrasting styles bring to this release.
Following a number of line-up changes and a four year hiatus, it’s great to hear new music from My Ticket Home, and the chemistry of all four members appears stronger than ever.
RUSHONROCK RATED 8.5/10 I’m losing my safety now; I fell to the flames!
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