The Decaydance/Fuelled By Ramen record label is becoming a new buzz phrase these days with artists such as Panic! At The Disco leading the line of fire, but the headlines could be re-written this month with New York quartet Gym Class Heroes stepping up with the release of their debut album ‘As Cruel As School Children‘.
Essentially this is a pop record with many twists and turns delivering a blend of hip hop, rock and even R&B into the aural blender showcasing the talents of singer songwriter Travis McCoy and his band who play live as opposed to a pre-programmed approach. The result is very well produced album that should acheive much more than your average alternative release due to it’s diverse nature.
The single ‘The Queen and I‘ released on August 28th is built with an upbeat salsa-esque vibe and shows one side of the many musical angles that this band are capable of pulling out of the bag.
McCoy says “It’s a personal song about girls who fancy alcoholic beverages, girls who like to have too much of a good time. I have weird underlying issues with females and alcohol. If you’re not paying attention, you think it’s just another radio ditty that sticks in your head, but then when you really listen you see it’s a whole lot more.”
The production comes from S*A*M, aka Sam Hollander who has previously been responsible for producing records for Method Man, and Earth, Wind and Fire so it gives you an idea of how big this record sounds overall.
If you are down with the sounds and songwriting of Prince, Talib Kweli, Black Eyed Peas, and Skeelo then you are probably gonna love it when it’s released on September 4th.