Album Review: New Age Affair – Too Messed Up

South Dakota’s New Age Affair have been around for just three short years, this is the band’s debut full length that follows on from their debut single and EP, ‘Reset‘ and “Sold Out” respectively. It was these releases that brought the band to the attention of New York label Manic Kat Records and their debut full length is the end result of this marriage. ‘All I Hate‘ eases you into “Too Messed Up” as the track gradually builds up to a mid tempo melodic punk rocker with an anthemic chorus, as pleasant as the opening track is it doesn’t grab you quite like a great track one, side one should do. This is followed up by two tracks, “I Hate Everyone” and “Back Me Up, of pure unadulterated pop punk,. The album continues to mine this particular vein of polished pop punk, one that echoes to the past glories of Good Charlotte and Bowling For Soup. There is of course the almost obligatory softer moment, ‘Today‘ brings a melancholy element into the mix, whilst at the other end of the spectrum ‘Gimme More‘ brings a slightly heavier edge into play.

In essence “Too Messed Up” is an album of vibrant and relatable melodic punk rock that has distinctly poppy edge to it, something that gives you the impression that New Age Affair wear their influences proudly on their collective sleeves, there are nods to the aforementioned pop punk titans as well as the likes of Masked Intruder, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! and MXPX. Lyrically “Too Messed Up” is an honest, punchy and personal debut full length, musically however, there is something very familiar about New Age Affair. The pop punk masterclass was a long time ago but it seems that New Age Affair were late to class, had this been released back in the days when Good Charlotte and New Found Glory were at their peak this is an album that could well have catapulted them into the spotlight. Whether there is still an appetite for such polished pop punk right now remains to be seen, but it must be said that if you still yearn for pop punk’s glory days then you really should grab yourself a copy of “Too Messed Up“.

“Too Messed Up” is now available via Apple Music, Spotify and Manic Kat Records and via Soundcloud below