West Palm Beach pop-punks Hey Monday, currently on the road for the Vans Warped Tour 2010, are in prime position to release a new EP, Beneath it All, next Tuesday. The six-song collection, including "Don't Wanna Dance," is now streaming in its entirety on MySpace. This is the first recording since drummer Elliot James was replaced with Patrick McKenzie.
Of all the songs, labeled "extremely over-produced, with swooshes, bells and whistles lending themselves better to Kelly Clarkson" by Alternative Press, the most adversarial and compelling is probably "Mr. Pushover." In addition to an arrangement that borders on contemporary country -- not meant as a pejorative, guys -- this is the chorus: "The haters are hating / the haters they hate me / lovers are loving / but lovers they hate me too." Ouch.
In Christine Borges' recent feature about the band, singer Cassadee Pope discussed her growth on this release:
Beneath It All reveals a softerPlus, Hey Monday will perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live on next Thursday.side of the band, with lyrics that touch on relationships with the
familiarity of seasoned pros. Set for an August 17 release, Pope
suggests that the lyrics are raw and will surprise fans. Following Hey
Monday's 2008 debut, Hold On Tight, she still feels that people
don't know that much about her, her personality, or how she feels about
things. "I'm really excited for people to get to know me through the
lyrics, 'cause they're very, very honest and brutal," she says.