Layby | Life's Great Illusions Review

The guys in Layby seem to have had a busy time recently. With the departure of their vocalist, Aaron John Bownes, who left to concentrate on becoming a dad, the vocals now lay in the hands of new member Miles Kent. The Nottingham pop punks are now releasing their second EP Life's Great Illusions after their awesome first release 'Bombsite' last year. If you're a fan of Neck Deep, ROAM or Six Time Champion, Life's Great Illusions is something you'd be silly to miss out on. The EP is pop punk with a heavier edge complete with a British accent...

The EP starts off with Soundcheck, a short-lived opener without any lyrics. It's upbeat, and is accompanied by chugging guitars which makes Soundcheck a great descent into the EP.

Chronic is up next which Layby recently released a video for (watch it below). The song has a deep-rooted heaviness while still maintaining a classic pop punk sound . Chronic is brisk, with enduring lyrics that will leave you singing along after only a few listens. The next song is Where I Stand. At first, the song appears to be a slower, more melodic track but the pace soon increases which creates a striking development throughout.  

Kicking & Screaming is the most sentimental on the EP, with honest and expressive lyrics. The song is unhurried and the gang vocals three quarters of the way through are a nice touch, emphasising the sentiment of the song. Finally, Losing Faith is one of the standout tracks from the EP, it has a perfect pop punk formula; a summery, crisp riff, an upbeat tempo and sincere, heartfelt lyrics. Out of all the tracks this is the one that's most susceptible to being put on repeat. The chorus holds a prominent vocal melody that will leave it implanted in your memory.

Overall, Life's Great Illusions is a great EP. All of the songs have a flawless pop punk construction with enough heaviness to add an extra compnent to the songs. The lyrics are heartfelt and the choruses are big. Layby have an excellent ability to tell a story with their songs. This, coupled with the awesome sound they've created, makes for a really engaging EP.   

Life's Great Illusions is out April 20th but you can stream it in full here.

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