SHOW PREVIEW:
Vans Warped Tour
Against The Current
July 13, 2016

We are just a few days away from our Vans Warped Tour date! The clock is ticking on my quest to learn all about the bands.  

The next band that piqued my interest was Against the Current (ATC). This American pop rock band trio hails out of Poughkeepsie, NY. The band formed in 2011 and currently consists of Chrissy Costanza, who is the lead vocalist, Daniel “Dan” Gow on guitar, and Will Ferri on drums.  

Like many newcomers, this band started out by getting a big following of fans on YouTube. They posted covers of hit songs, and networked with other emerging artists. From there, they released an EP titled Infinity. They went on tour to promote it, and were signed by Fueled By Ramen records in early 2015.  ATC released their debut album, In Our Bones, on May 20, 2016.

ATC reminds me of the female version of Fall Out Boy. Chrissy has a fantastic range to her voice. I would compare her to Selena Gomez or Hayley from Paramore. On some songs like “Ghosts”, she sings gently, in a whispering way. Then on tracks like “Young & Relentless”, she turns the notch up on her voice and belts out the words. The lyrics are easy enough to learn and her voice is clear enough to understand and sing a-long with. The guys play their hearts out, making every note count. When they bang the drum, or strum the guitar, every note is perfection. This isn’t just your average pop rock band.  

Their song “Running With The Wild Things” has all the elements for a hit, and is my personal favorite on the album. The drums and guitar beat begged me to turn up the volume and dance. The lyrics of the song consist of “Ooh-oooh” throughout and with my best karaoke skills, I had to sing back-up for them.

It’s a song about how our education system is corrupt, and although I have been removed from school for many years now, I still found my place with this song. It has a good beat, great lyrics, and a message worth repeating.  Many of their lyrics touch on something more than just the average pop song crush or break up.  

I have placed Against the Tide high on my list of acts to catch this week at the Vans Warped Tour. Have they made your list?  Check them out and let me know if you’ll be running with me!