The Groundbreaking Ceremony - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do
So, yet another pop-punk band from across the pond are daring to step forth into the seemingly never-ending battle to try and make a name for themselves in the UK. The Groundbreaking Ceremony are the latest offering the USA is throwing our way, their new EP Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do as their weapon. The lads have played on plenty of stages throughout the USA, and are currently enjoying their slot on the Vans Warped Tour.
Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do is positively fit to burst with slick, melodic, and glimmering tracks. Eleventh and Bleeker and Don't be a Dream are the kind of uplifting and infectious songs that should be sung as loud as possible whilst driving on a sunny day. 19:35 is also a guitar-pop affair; it has plenty of good harmonies and a nicely polished poppy chorus, holding plenty of promise for the band.
Psalm 51, however, shows another side to their sound and confirms that they can pull off something other than straight forward pop-rock songs. This is a gently chimed heartfelt ballad, slowly gathering momentum and exploding into a full-blown pop-rock number that will undoubtedly pull on your heartstrings as well as having you singing along at the top of your voice. The Burden of Goodbye is another upbeat lovey-dovey track, but it still manages to maintain the crisp attitude that most of the other songs contain.
Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do ends with a rather chilling acoustic ballad, which without a doubt holds the best lyric from the whole EP ("What's a bottle or three of Jack, when heartbreak is my best friend?"), infuses a bit of good old self-pity into the six-track volume.
Are we bored over here in the UK of USA sending masses of pop-punk bands into our midst? Absolutely not. The Groundbreaking Ceremony have a special ingredient within their music which ascertains that once their songs have been heard, they settle comfortably inside the brain and refuse to leave. Even though most pop-punk bands sound the same, the songs are always delightfully catchy and it seems like we'll never tire of them.