Pure Noise Records – 27 Jan 2023
Turn me inside out and soak me in twang (FFO: pop punk, y’allternative, cover songs)
For the past ten years, Alex Melton has been posting videos to his YouTube page. While these were initially covers of pop-punk songs like The Wonder Years’ “Came Out Swinging”, Alex began recording songs in different styles. Sometimes, he would record a pop song in the style of Blink 182; other times, he would record a country version of a punk song. More recently, he’s begun recording songs with half time drums or where the song keeps getting faster. Much like fellow streamer Skatune Network and Counter Intuitive Records, Alex has been snapped up by Pure Noise.
(Grain of Salt Time: I turned 38 last year, and I’m continuing my slow evolution into becoming my father. I’ve started wearing flannel shirts and I’ve really gotten into trad country like Doc Watson and Guy Clark. Hell, That 90s Show just came out, and I’ve had the horrible realization that I’m the same age now as my father was when That 70s Show graced the airwaves. Unsurprisingly, Alex’s blend of pop punk and country scratches a particular itch of mine.)
Southern Charm showcases Alex’s split personality. The A-Side demonstrates his alchemy in turning country hits into pop-punk bangers, while the B-Side shows he can add some twang to the greatest hits of Pure Noise. I’ll confess that I haven’t heard most of these songs before—maybe three songs from the A-Side? Regardless, the Florence, SC native works his magic across all twelve tracks.
With “Beer Never Broke My Heart”, Alex invigorates Luke Combs’ country trope bingo song with the help of a DS-1 pedal, frenetic drumming and his impression of Tom Delonge’s nasal inflection. He livens up Garth Brooks’ magnum opus “Friends in the Low Places” by turning the BPM up to 11 and rarely backing down. Somehow, he transforms The Chicks’ “Cowboy Take Me Away” into anthemic rock with a chorus that actually takes the listener “as high as you can into the wild blue”.
The alchemy continues on the B-Side. While he uses banjo picking and steel guitars to re-flavor Stick to Your Guns’hardcore track “Married to the Noise”, Alex isn’t afraid to let his vocals rip at the song’s twin crescendos. He slows down “Soak Me in Bleach”, flavoring the track with reverb and chicken pickin’ to highlight what The Amity Affliction couldn’t—this song is quite the earworm. To end the album, he strips Parker Cannon’s impassioned, barked delivery in The Story So Far’s “Quicksand”, nearly giving the feel of a campfire sing along or even “Wonderwall”.
Maybe Melton has a gimmick, but golly is it a good one. Southern Charm shows his ear for music and genres in more than a viral video. I would strongly recommend checking it out.
YO VINYL NERDS: While not one of the limited run LPs, the clear with olive splatter manages to look pretty cool without trying that hard.
the white drew carey (aka – Jeff Sorley) is the founder and head editor of TGEFM. He’s lived (outside of) Chicago, Madison WI, (ugh) Penn State, Lyon FR, Oxford UK, central New Jersey, and now within earshot of SFO in the Bay Area. When not scouring the web for more great bands and labels to post about, he also spends time drawing (mostly) silly sci-fi and anime stuff under the name Asplenia Studios.
