Sports Reference - Blue Room

Sports Reference

Blue Room
self-released; 2016

3.5 out of 5

By Jamie Funk
​

Joey Johnson (guitar/vocals) and Jeremy McGuire (drums/vocals) are the two members of Sports Reference. The duo released a four-song EP entitled Blue Room that isn’t even fifteen minutes long. That being said it gives the duo a good foundation to build upon. Their music certainly seems to be emo any way you look at it. 

Emo after all is rock music resembling punk that has more complex arrangements and lyrics that often veer towards emotional topics. Take for instance the opener “Adult.” It starts off in basic pop punk fashion with the classic nasally vocal delivery and distorted power chords but eventually gets into more complex transitions by changing time and pulling off an inventive breakdown. Later in the song come the emotional lyrics. “The sadness will last forever rejection is there wherever this madness will sever you from the life that you never wish you had.”

The pop-punk stylings that are covered with dismal lyrics at one emotional state continue on “Fragile.” He sings, “This is the end of the line of this journey / This trail of dread has led me to a place that looks oddly similar to / to where I was.” The song goes by quickly, is catchy and features some effective vocal harmonies. 

“Everything's Wrong” is the centerpiece and most dynamic song on the EP. It starts off fast out of the gates with a number of aggressive transitions. The duo builds up palpable energy only to completely deplete a little after the minute mark. As the song progresses it begins to build up back up again as he sings about self-diagnosing himself. They close with “Blue Room” which builds from beginning to end. No words show up till the tail end of the song. 

​Blue Room is a relatively straightforward EP. The unhappy teenage outbursts which seems to be all over this type of music will resonate with a younger audience who appreciate bands like Sorority Noise, Thrice, etc.

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