New York pop-punk band We Are The In Crowd have been plagued with  something that is lamentably common among female fronted bands in the genre – constant comparisons to Paramore. With their new release ‘Weird Kids’, they have finally put their  mark on the scene and are showing that there is much more to them than was previously thought. This album shows a more mature and experimental side to the band that defies simple comparisons to other acts.

There has been a lot of hype around We Are The In Crowd in the past few years, and ‘Weird Kids’ should show why. Aside from the musical talents on display, the band also show that they have the ability to explore more extensive areas thematically. Lead singer  Taylor Jardine’s lyrics discuss the passing of her father in Windows in Heaven, which also manages to place a big importance on growing up so as to not alienate a large number of their fans.

This pop/rock, or pop punk, album is  one that breaks boundaries slightly, thematically and sound-wise. There is an overall positive message in the album and the importance is not too heavily based around romantic relationships. The album also has tracks that show a little bit of fight, a little bit of anger, such as The Best Thing (That Never Happened) – a bitter love song that gives the album the necessary jolt of energy.

The band have improved massively. Both Taylor Jardine and Jordan Eckes’s vocals have developed, although there are less songs where they sing together, which is a pity as this was something that had given them a unique sound in their previous releases.  There are still some songs where they sing together such as Dreaming Out Loud, which is definitely a stand out song and their voices still work so well together. Attention displays a similarly impressive vocals, while the message  and lyrics of this song are also particularly enjoyable.

There’s a lot of new things to hear and love after each listen, and the band should find that they have opened themselves up to a whole new audience. We Are The In Crowd are a band that have been around for a while, there’s been a huge amount of excitement around them, but there always seemed to be something missing – whatever that something was, they have definitely found it and are now showing their full potential.