The Northwest - "All In" EP Review!!

I've put this album off for too long now, let's get our 158th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene rolling before the month gets too old! The album in question is local indie/punk quintet The Northwest's third EP "All In", which was independently released on June 10th to their Bandcamp page and major streaming platforms. Their first release since 2018's "Songs From 2015-2017" and since tacking "The" onto their name last year, "All In" was recorded locally at Unsalted Audio with producers/ex-Pointless bandmates Dustin Goodall & Bill Priddle, with Dustin engineering & mixing the songs before sending them off to Bryan Lowe at Joao Carvalho Mastering in Toronto. Their lineup is intact from their second EP, including singer/guitarist Wayne Watkins, guitarists Greg Callaghan & Mike Yakasovich, bassist Mike Smykacz, and drummer Marc Santos. As best as I can tell, "All In" is exclusively available digitally with no physical CDs.

You can buy "All In" as a digital download on Bandcamp for $7, and while it is available to stream for free there and on major streaming platforms like Spotify, consider buying it to support the guys' work! Song titles below are linked to Bandcamp copies, but note that all songs except "Lights" & "Walls" have had official music or lyric videos posted to their YouTube channel, so don't bypass those for the full presentation. With six songs running for 25 minutes (a huge drop from last month's reviewed album), let's begin with the opening track, "Shoreline"!

Ever so slightly the longest song on "All In", its lyrics seem to be about seizing the day and enjoying life even if things seem dire in the short term, with the album name frequently cited in the verses. The song is a melodic indie rocker with punk downplayed in favour of a retro 1980s vibe, with Wayne's vocals coming off somewhat ethereal and otherworldly in the mix. The chorus can be very repetitive, and fans of The Northwest's punk side may be disappointed by the lack of bite, but the triple guitar attack is well balanced! Not a bad song for what it is! The second track is the first single "Long Hair (Longer Nights)", which is basically an ode to a carefree, nostalgic summer where one can let loose before the fall. Punk fans will take to this song more with a very pop punk-inspired structure, and Wayne does seem to channel Tom DeLonge vocally a bit with how he sings here! 

The harmonization is on point, and the guitar solo break is a nice addition, but the "whoa-ohs" in the chorus feel really out of place, and the fuzzy 1980s vibe of the song might not be to all listeners' taste. The whiplash to the campfire sing-along bridge wasn't ideal either, which is a shame, as a full version of this song in that style would be interesting! Better song than the opener, but there are things I'd address. Next is "Unsober October", which is about trying to quit drinking alcohol to win back a jilted lover. Very summery yet garage rock feel to the music here, but Wayne's distinctive higher vocals (which have a Perry Farrell quality on choruses here) direct the path once again. Nice to hear Greg on supporting call-and-response vocals on the bridge too, the contrast of his deep voice is something you think they'd exploit more. Solid bass and drums from Mike S. and Marc too!

While not an overly punk song, "Unsober October" is the fullest package so far as a composition with less to nitpick, so it's definitely a highlight on "side A"! Fourth is "Lights", the EP's only song to run for under 4 minutes, and whose lyrics seem to be about repressing personal torment, though acknowledging that letting it all out an inevitability. My compliment of contrasting vocals was clearly prescient, as Greg handles the verses here with Wayne on the choruses, and I like how that sounds! Greg could have a doom metal frontman career if he really wanted it, which fits the morose lyrics more than the relatively upbeat indie rock instrumentation, though the slower tempo in the home stretch does help. Definitely some solid ideas here, I recommend it for variance, but I'd have went "all in" on the music matching the lyrics.

Song #5 is "Walls", which has similar themes about repressing feelings, this time towards escaping a restrictive workplace environment. Given the vibe, again, I'd have went angrier and more intense with this, but the song is one of the more punk-leaning ones on offer even still, if heavily indie influenced. Wayne's vocals definitely get more pointed and direct in the bridge though! Effective track with a good rhythm section, but the extended instrumental ending felt tacked on to artificially lengthen it. The EP ends with "Stay Gold", which is less about The Outsiders and more about reliving the past and hoping things don't change with/for a loved one. Good showcase for Wayne's melodic, Jane's Addiction-esque vocals that drive the song down the track nicely, with the triple guitar attack, Mike S., and Marc holding their own for this indie rocker, albeit only dipping a toe into punk in the bridge.

Drawn out waveform ending aside, the song gets the job done to end the EP, helping restore good feelings from lyrics & music alike! So, what are my final thoughts on (The) Northwest's third EP? While the guys are definitely still slowly drifting from the punk aspects of their 2014 debut, this is still a feel-good  summer-time listen that still has cross-subgenre appeal! Nothing here hit the dramatic approach of "True North" from their last EP, but efforts to make songs with a seasonal essence hit the mark, and I do think you'll get more out of these songs if you enjoy outdoor summer activities! Wayne's distinctively melodic vocals were usually front and center, but Greg's lead vocal turn on "Lights" was a welcome diversion, he and the Mikes delivered as you'd expect on guitar & bass, and Marc's drumming was a steady constant across all six songs!

"Unsober October" & "Stay Gold" worked the best across the board for me of the six "All In" tracks, and while I do prefer my Northwest with more of a punk base, clearly they're doing something right to get these songs played during televised NHL games this year! Beyond that, my big issues with the EP were the sometimes overly drawn out song endings, the "whoa-oh" vocals on "Long Hair", some occasional lyric repetition, and the lyrics of some songs not meshing with the music in intensity. Still, "All In" feels like a natural progression for The Northwest, not totally abandoning what got them here but getting to a more accessible profile, and it will be very interesting to see what comes next for them! Give "All In" a listen or buy it above, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! Next month, we'll very likely be looking at local industrial metal solo project Molten Imp's newest digital single/EP "Frustfressenkummerspeck" so look for that then, and for more news & notes next week! Thanks everyone!