This Afternoon - If We Gave Up Now

If We Gave Up Now is a 10 song outing featuring mid to late 90’s almost Midwestern indie rock influenced punk.

Hidden in some corner of NY these past few years, This Afternoon have served notice in their local scene as being more than just promising artists. With two previous releases under their belt, Emplane have released their third, a follow up to their locally acclaimed four song EP. If We Gave Up Now is a 10 song outing featuring mid to late 90’s almost Midwestern indie rock influenced punk. There are catchy hooks, heartfelt vocalizations with a distinct mid tempo rock feel. You can compare them to the likes of Texas is the Reason, the Enkindels and maybe some early Elliot.

Derivative of said bands, the appealing factor of this record is its grounded feel – combining the elements of indie rock with up to date emo punk melodies. Exemplified in what is perhaps the most enjoyable track on the record, “Made By Make Believe” is a mixture of heartfelt honesty, melody and a sincerity to combine rock with indie/punk qualities.

The downside is that maybe the songs are just a little too long in length without really going anywhere distinct or epic. Four hours of driving through Kansas is what it is, four hours of driving through Kansas and a six minute song where nothing spectacular happens feels like four hours. In effect, you can best describe their sound as similar to Texas is the Reason, but it just lacks some extra punch that makes long trips enjoyable. This record is still an earnest effort and most fans of the recent wave of emo and TITR holdovers will enjoy it.

(Emplane Music)