Verona Grove – EP

Released as a preview for their upcoming full length, The Story Thought Over, Verona Grove‘s EP is yet another band trying to break into the emo-pop-rock-punk scene. Not quite sure where they want to go, the EP pulls from influences all over the board; but unlike most new acts trying to do the same thing, there’s something in Verona Grove‘s pop laden hooks that is actually damn enjoyable.

Very glossy and extremely produced, Verona Grove pulls in little traits from the who’s who of the music industry – most prominently being that of Andrew McMahon of Something Corporate. But SoCo isn’t the only band hinted at here, Everything You Dreamed sprinkles a little dash of Take This To Your Grave-era Fall Out Boy and the spoken word bridge during No Words To Say is a perfect rendition ofAcross Five Aprils‘ A Year From Now. The album closer Goodbye Surrender starts with some digitalized “woah-ohs” and a vocal harmony that feels some definite All-American Rejects influence – although the chorus still has that McMahon feel to it. In a way, the entire album has that feel to it. While every song has a little bit of individuality, they are all based on the Something Corporate piano pop-rock structure that Leaving Through The Window immortalized. Tony Anders continually bares a very strong resemblance to McMahon and the soothing piano melody on Revolution leans towards Konstantine.

However, it is the fact that they are so familiar to other acts that could be their eventual downfall. While yes, the EP is able to survive on it’s own with its songs about love and fighting through adversity; there does tend to be a lack of creativity and inventiveness in it. It never really injures the listening pleasure you get from it, but it does knock it down a few pegs in the memorable category.

At just four songs, the debut EP from Verona Grove were able to grab your interest and make you just the slightest bit interested in hearing their aforementioned full length – and that, in a nutshell, is why the EP was released in the first place. We just need to hope that they’re able to create a more individualized sound because if not, the full length could drag on a bit. Still, a good pop-punk release in and of itself.