SHREDnews

At first glance, Massachusetts native band, Semester Abroad, may just look like a group of teenage boys playing around making music, but after a few minutes of listening you realize they’re everything but. The band consists of Tyler Reardon on vocals, Joe Beliacqua on bass, Tim Ryan and Zack Currier on guitar, and Matt Hylander on drums. Their EP The Dreams We Had is a fun pop album that showcases the young bands raw talent.

The album starts with “The Best I Never Had”. It’s a fun love song with whistles and snaps in the background, making the song feel like a day at the beach. It’s a great quick tune to put the EP into motion and get the listener in a carefree mood.

“Scene Girls Are Overrated” is a completely acoustic song. The song is catchy and the vocals on it sound great. The chorus is probably the catchiest one on the EP.  Putting an acoustic song on an EP is a really great idea, although I would love to hear how this song would sound with a full band behind it.

“Anywhere But Here” is by far my favorite song on the EP. It’s a song about having love for your hometown and the ultimate question of which coast is better, east or west? But, just like the first track, this song has the feel of a summer day just hanging out with your friends.

“Skyline” is a song that grows on you the more you listen to it. The vocals are a bit weak, and it’s a little more slow paced than the rest of the EP, but you seem to get more into the song as it progresses. The end of the song wraps up the whole EP in a great way.

The Dreams We Had is a fun, raw, musical experience. I found it to be a great reminder of what the passion of music really is. It was an unprocessed creative work, and that’s hard to find these days. Although the band still has a lot of room to grow, this EP proves that they have the talent to do it.

For Fans Of: Ace Enders, Valencia, The Rocket Summer

Overall Rating Out Of 10: 6.5

Top Track To Listen To: Anywhere But Here