Before I go into dissecting “Everynight Fireworks,” I would like to disclose that a) I never got into BRAID, b) I still am not all that familar with BRAID, and c) HEY MERCEDES IS NOT BRAID. Okay, now that that is out of the way, this is a fantastic, hooky, smooth pop-rock disc with a few post-hardcore style elements and lots of polish around the edges. From what I’ve already read, and from what the 11 songs on here readily admit to, HEY MERCEDES clearly had a plan with this album, and everything sounds very much together. Each track blends in real well into the next without suffering from “every song sounds the same syndrome,” and a multitude of timing changes keep each moment or so fresh. I recognize a few of these tunes from seeing them performed live already, and I actually like the recorded versions better. There’s a very professional quality to the production (done by J. Robbins) on “Everynight Fireworks,” but not so much that the tone of the song gets lost in the moment. “Our Weekend Starts on Saturday,” is a poppy, silly gem, and thus feels much more lightweight than the baggage heavy, “Haven’t Been this Happy” with it’s slower, more aggressive sound. HEY MERCEDES remind me a lot of SAVES THE DAY, not in how the band sounds, but in that both bands bring to their style a certain uniqueness that keeps it from being plagued with generic song structures and hooks. As required though, “Eleven to Your Seven,” is that one particular song that gets rammed into your head and doesn’t make any attempt to leave either. The artwork compliments “Everynight Fireworks,” strong points by retaining a slick character, but not one that is pretentious or aloof. Describing a disc as “nice,” doesn’t say much, but overall, HEY MERCEDES has put out something that will not offend nor instigate, as it’s too “nice” to do either – it just rocks instead.

Vagrant

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