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Northwest Indiana based pop punk trio The Region dropped their latest EP “Everything I’ve Got” earlier today. Jake Cyprian (vocals/guitar), Phil Cyprian (bass/vocals), and Jon De St. Jean (drums) bring a fresh, hard-hitting sound to the pop punk/emo genre. The Region continues to impress me with their new releases, as they always present something new, and continue to grow both stylistically and in production quality. This band’s music is truly a joy to follow. “Everything I’ve Got” presents a wide variety of pop punk elements, and each song stands out in its own way.
While all five tracks on this release are great and make a well-rounded EP, the three I want to look at in detail are “Giving Up”, “Life In Retrograde”, and “Chaser.” One thing I have always found with The Region’s music is their releases follow a nice arc in terms of pace, energy, and lyrics.The opening, middle, and closing tracks on this EP reflect a strong build and fulfilling close. “Everything I’ve Got” achieves this wholeness, but still allows for songs to be listened to individually outside the EP.
“Giving Up” breaks open this release with a classic pop punk sound of quick drums and melodic guitar. The opening lyrics present a situation of writer’s block, something most people can relate to, “Well, here I go again/Stuck in this basement/Paper and pen in hand and lack of motivation/’Cause I’ve grown tired/So uninspired/Can’t seem to write the words I want to say on paper.” This is another aspect of The Region’s music that I really like. Their lyrics are always relatable to many situations. This also makes a strong opening because it implies that while the band started out uninspired, the listener will be brought through what became inspiring to write about. The heavy build to this song leads to a turning point which brings the EP in focus. Following lyrics which discuss creating one’s own opportunities, there are group vocals singing the lyrics, “I’m giving everything I’ve got/But what I get is never quite enough.” The music grows and the song ends on screamo vocals, another classic element of pop punk. I think this is a fantastic opening track, as it not only introduces the sound of the EP, but the musical journey of this release and its title.
“Life In Retrograde” serves as a strong midpoint to this release. When I am midway through an EP, I hope the energy does not start to fall short. This is definitely not the case for this track. The vocals, lyrics, and sound are interesting and upbeat, keeping me interested in hearing more. The guitar and vocals make this song feel bright, and the rhythms throughout remind me of other pop punk artists such as Real Friends or Neck Deep. Mostly what I love about this song in terms of an arc is its ability to maintain the musical build of the EP, and its bright, upbeat sound. This is one of my favorite tracks to listen to individually.
“Chaser” brings the EP to a slowed down close. The music on this track is significantly less heavy and upbeat than the others, focusing instead on acoustic guitar. This reflects the ideas explored in the lyrics. In terms of completing an arc, this song brings ties from the opening track full circle, making the album feel complete. This is indicated in the final lyrics, “‘Cause one thing I’ve learned in this reality/Most things are never quite as good as they seem/But I’ll keep chasing my dreams.” This mirrors the idea of giving everything you’ve got, and suggests that even though life is hard, you should strive for what you want to achieve. This is a theme that was explored a lot in this EP, and I am impressed with the wholeness of this album, as it is not something you see all the time.
I want to commend The Region on this fantastic new release, and how far they have continue to come since I first started reviewing their music. If you are a fan of pop punk/emo music, this is definitely an EP I would recommend to you. A wide variety of sounds and styles from the genre are represented. This is certainly one of the best EP’s I have heard recently, both musically and thematically. Listen to The Region and follow their social media— they have certainly given everything they’ve got.