Agree to Disagree

Overtime pop punk has become one of those genres that people feel they need to defend. Though it is rather difficult to argue anything negative about the affects Blink-182 had on music, the modern stereotype of pop punk since Blink’s heyday has significantly been brought down due to repeated themes and overdone motifs. Unfortunately, Agree to Disagree does not do much to help alleviate this situation.

Agree to Disagree’s latest release, If You Think We Suck Now, Just Wait Til We Sell Out, has pop punk written all over it. The release is filled to the brim with childhood references like naming their first track “Stoop Kid’s Afraid to Leave the Stoop” after the ’90s classic Hey Arnold or embedded with strange citations towards other musicians (the two tracks, “Famous Last Words” and “Kids Think They’re Bulletproof,” are so similarly relevant to old My Chemical Romance songs that I had to do a double take). And though being nostalgic is great, hell it’s the reason everyone likes to cite Nirvana and the Stones as their major influences, the child-like nature of it all just doesn’t entirely stick for me.

For the whole youth in revolt feel of the record’s lyrics and song titles, the vocals are a bit of a throw-off as they sound a lot older and worn out than the 20-something-year-old projected by the content. This aged feel then again comes across in the intense amount of skill poured into the instrumentals. Pop punk generally can get away with knowing a basic understanding of chords and progressions (hence why it’s part “punk”) but Agree to Disagree really know what they are playing. With ample amounts of guitar solos and the super catchy (and oddly very familiar) riffs on tracks like “The Basement Song (Havoc)” the skill level of musicianship exceeds the lyricism and wit of record as a whole.

With something like serious thought going into how the guitar should reverb and when, it is surprising that a lot of the tracks deal with whiney tunes about moving on and working together to get from one state to the next. There’s the joke that to form a pop punk band means you need to talk about friendship, youth, and getting out of someplace (like a hometown) that Agree to Disagree seem to only help to prove even truer with a lack of in depth writing.

Though not my first choice for pop punk bands, Agree to Disagree can carry a tune and will appeal to anyone just looking for a little angst in their life. Musically, the album is as solid as can be, if only a little more work was put into writing, then maybe Agree to Disagree will get the chance to actually “sell out.” - Infectious Magazine

My first reaction upon listening to Agree to Disagree was “This band is adorable.” You have to understand that I grew up listening to bands like Green Day, Fall Out Boy and Blink 182 when they were still back in their angsty, punk stages before they became more pop. I also grew up listening to bands like Four Year Strong so imagine my joy upon listening to a band that combines that angsty pop punk sound with chugging melodic riffs of Four Year Strong.

If you grew up during the pop punk era – mid to late 2000s- then Agree to Disagree’s debut If You Think We Suck Now, Just Wait Till We Sell Out will be like a nostalgic trip down memory lane for you. Filled it with raw angst and shout-along (or sing-along depending on how energetic you are) pop punk anthems that remind one of Fall Out Boy’s From Under The Cork Tree, Green Day’s Dookie, Blink 182’s Enema of the State and Four Year Strong’s Rise or Die Trying. All put together into one tasteful package that comes with long, nonsensical song names as well.

From the opening chords of “Stoop Kid’s Afraid to Leave His Stoop” to the final chugging riffs of “These Kids Think They’re Bulletproof”. This album has something for everybody, whether you like raw pop punk or hardcore songs peppered with melody and catchy hooks. “Stoop Kid’s Afraid to Leave His Stoop” opens with jangling chords before launching angry four chord riffs that thunder away beneath raw vocals and alongside energetic drumming. It is truly a throwback to that pop punk noise that I grew up on, before it became more about the pop than the punk.

Hardcore fans will be happy to hear songs like “Life’s Tough, So Get Helmet” where Agree to Disagree throws hardcore-styled chanting and shouting into a raw pop punk anthem. Other songs are also peppered with hardcore styled guitar riffs and breakdowns which punctuates the electrifying energy of the band. “Frame Of My Mind” sees the band engaging in vocal harmonies as the unclean hardcore vocals are thrown in behind the normal clean vocals. “Silver Snakes Just Can’t Win” makes you feel like Dookie and Enema of the State was thrown together and then some guitar solos were added as well. “The Basement Song (Havoc)” lives up to its name and feels like a song you’d hear at some basement show where a cloud of smoke clouds your view of the band and arms are failing all about it. It is that quintessential blend of raw energy, shouting and pure insanity. “I’m Wearing a Top Hat (England)” is a hardcore song through and through packed with shouting, harsh vocals and thundering guitar riffs. They even that quintessential acoustic song that no self-respecting pop punk band would go without.

Lyrically, Agree to Disagree play the angsy teenager card and have written typical songs about lost love, life being shitty, the past and wanting to leave their hometown. You may stop and say “Well isn’t that horribly clichéd? We all know that you hate clichés.” It is clichéd, if you try and do it a way that sounds all clean and well-produced. Agree to Disagree instead thunders out of your speakers like some unruly garage band, devoid of any vocal mastering or any production at all. It feels like everything was recorded live so it has a raw value to it. Songs about life being shitty were meant to be chanted at the top of the singer’s lungs and not made to sound like pubescent boy was whining about the days gone by. Pop punk used to be about unkempt anger and emotion and not refined and controlled sound.

Agree to Disagree is a nostalgic band. They’re a band that missed their time to shine by a few years. Despite this, there is a chance that they can capture the heart of pop punk fans, or any fans in general, with their catchy hooks, chant-along anthems, heartfelt lyrics and an aura of being genuine. Plus, who doesn’t want to be able to shout the chorus of a song about some girl (or boy) who hurt them at the top of their lungs? - Mind Equals Blown

Four-piece pop-punk/melodic hardcore band Agree to Disagree released their debut full-length album "If You Think We Suck Now, Just Wait Til We Sellout" today. With an impressive sixteen-song tracklist, the album spans a wide range of the bands growth. “This record has been a work in progress since around 2009/10, so it’s great that some of the songs that were written that far back have stood the test of time (and member/style changes) and made it onto the album,” said bassist Bobby Magnell. “We wanted to do something very 90’s and people told us we were a 90’s-esche band,” added guitarist Zack St. Paul. “What they did back then was 16 or more songs, and we thought it would make sense for us to do that.”

Get this album on Bandcamp:
http://agreetodisagreema.bandcamp.com/album/if-you-think-we-suck-now-just-wait-til-we-sellout

Tackling personal struggles to the political battlegrounds of social media, they aren’t limited to specific topics or genres. “From our many influences and styles we incorporate into our band, there is no real label to put us on; just that we make and play music we love,” said Steven Kunevich (drums). “I would tell a newcomer that our album is very different; you can tell we put our hearts into it and that we always like to keep the listeners intrigued.” Guest vocals on “Remembrance At Its Finest” were provided by Eric Canto of Riverview, while the album was recorded by Matt Withrow of MGW Audio and mastered Mike Abiuso (SwitchBitch Records, The Venetia Fair).

Agree to Disagree is currently underway making tour plans, beginning with weekend dates in CT, NY, PA and longer stretches to come. Magnell concluded, “We can’t expect the internet to do the work for us, so I hope we get out there as soon as possible to share our hard work with people!” - New Noise Magazine

Agree To Disagree is a pop punk band out of South Shore, MA. The band just recently put out their well received debut album, If You Think We Suck Now, Just Wait Til We Sell out. The band consists of Zachary St. Paul and Matt Magnell on Vocals/Guitar, Bassist Bobby Magnell, and Drummer Steven Kunevich. Read on and see what all these guys had to say when they chatted with BareBones Ent!

BS: How did Agree To Disagree come together?
Bobby Magnell (Bass/Vocals): Our original guitarist Drew was setting up a band for a benefit show with a couple of his friends and he had invited Steven to play. It was a little over a week before the show and the two friends ended up bailing; this was all on AOL Instant Messenger and I was at Steven’s house witnessing this and I had started learning bass at that time and knew a good amount of songs so I volunteered to be the bassist and vocalist. We practiced the whole week before the show, played it, and then decided to keep it going.

BS: What have been your biggest musical influences?
Matt Magnell (Vocals/Guitar): As a band we tend to cite Green Day, Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, and Rise Against. I myself listen to an assortment, I’m influenced by a lot of different bands of different genres

BS: If you could have wrote any song in history, what would it be and why?
BM: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana. People can hate on that answer, but that song had a huge impact and I would’ve loved to have written a song that did that.
MM: “More Than a Feeling” by Boston, just because it’s my favorite song.
Zack St. Paul (Vocals/Guitar): “Look What Happened” by Less Than Jake, that song always gets me in a great mood.

BS: What do you hope people take from your music?
MM: I hope that they can relate to it and that maybe it helps them in some way or maybe it makes them see something in a different light.

BS: What currently is your goal with the band and your music?
BM: At the moment, we are just going to be practicing, playing shows, and promoting ourselves and the record. We’re gonna get some merch together, and then get ourselves out on the road, starting with some weekenders, building it up to week long tours and building those up into longer stretches, and then going from there.

BS: You just recently released your new album, If You Think We Suck Now, Just Wait Til We Sell Out, which is such a great name. How’d you guys come up with it?
ZSP: It came out of the song “Kids Think They’re Bulletproof.” We all liked the line so much that we decided to make it the name of the album.

BS: How has the feedback been on it?
BM:The feedback has been amazing. It was awesome seeing us featured on websites from places like New Zealand, Russia, and Vancouver. The reviews we got on them were positive as well.

BS: What inspired you to use the “Hey Arnold!” reference on your opening song?
ZSP: I pretty much love “Hey Arnold!” and wanted that to be the song title. The lyrics really fit because I feel like at some point we’re all like Stoop Kid; afraid to take that step out into the world out of fear, but you cant be scared forever, you know?

BS: What do you feel is the message of this album?
MM: The album is just about life in general really, it’s about where we’ve come as a band and as people over the last few years.

BS: When can fans expect to see you in their town next?
MM: As soon as we can, they just need to let us know where they are.

BS: Anything else you would like to say to all of your fans out there?
ZSP: Stand and be counted! Also thanks for listening to the album. - BareBones Entertainment