CD Reviews

Ridgemont | Colder Days

Mindless (2011)

By ALI DONOHUE | December 14, 2011

3.0 Stars

For some, colder days in Boston mean more whiskey, more isolation, and a time to reflect and mostly be pissed off. Allston's Ridgemont captures it all on Colder Days. The band draws heavily from pop-punk powerhouses like Dillinger Four and Latterman; you can see the influence of the former in narrative song titles like "Stop Breaking the Law, Asshole," "Bass Chords Would Work Well Here," and "The Fucking Basement Flooded." Familiar themes of frustration and dissatisfaction bleed through the 14 tracks despite the sometimes-buried vocals. Colder Days ends with an especially wintry hopeless note — on "The Fucking Basement Flooded," frontman Jack Haley sings, "We have no future in any of this." An optimist could say warmer days are just around the corner, but Ridgemont know that's a lie. Released back in September by guitarist Max Ono's new Mindless Records label (in collaboration with Kiss of Death Records and Mission Social Club), Colder Days is the second physical release from the band, and the first ever pressed to vinyl. Spin it as the temperature plummets.

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