by Lilah Au Yeung

On February 3, 2009, A Day to Remember released Homesick, the album that popularized the relatively new subgenre, easycore, and brought fans of multiple genres together. Both pop-punk and metalcore fans were able to appreciate this album of pop-punk with breakdowns. It even acted as a stepping stone for pop-punk fans to get into metalcore and vice versa.

It all started with New Found Glory's album, Catalyst, released on May 18, 2004. What seemed to be something that shouldn't be done, was done by New Found Glory. They combined pop-punk and hardcore creating, easycore, pop-punk with breakdowns in the key of major. Their song, "At Least I'm Known For Something" on their Catalyst album is a perfect example of what would be the start of easycore. You can hear the muted chugs of the guitar, a breakdown near the end, and gang vocals in the background, all taken from hardcore. Of course, they continued using power chords, stayed in major, and sang instead of screaming to keep the pop-punk aspect of the genre. They even coined the term "easycore" as a joke because they're playing something "easier sounding," so they took "hardcore" and changed it to "easycore."

After hearing this, bands like Four Year Strong started to come out who play easycore. They were the ones who really made it a genre by taking what New Found Glory started and pushing it further by taking screams from hardcore. They released Rise or Die Trying three years after Catalyst came out, turning easycore into pop-punk with screams and breakdowns. In "Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die," you can hear they borrowed the "OH!" screamed during breakdowns in hardcore and metalcore.

Two years later in 2009, A Day To Remember release Homesick, which charted number 21 on the US Billboard 200. This album is what really put easycore out there to fans of multiple genres. Not only was easycore in the album, but also metalcore with pop-punk influences. The album was also "mixed by Adam Dutkiewicz of metalcore band, Killswitch Engage and featured guest spots from Mike Hranica of The Devil Wears Prada, and Vincent Bennet of deathcore band, The Acacia Strain." This one album popularized the mixing of genres, influencing later bands to come. Songs like "Mr. Highway's Thinking About The End" on Homesick catered to metalcore fans while songs like "NJ Legion Iced Tea" were perfect for pop-punk fans. Other songs like "The Downfall Of Us All" and "I'm Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?" catered to both genres because it's in between pop-punk, easycore, and metalcore.

There was something for everyone on Homesick, which was especially important during the time of Warped Tour. "Homesick had managed to bridge the gap between two competing subgenres at the height of Warped Tour's commercial success." It was able to bring two fanbases together that were both in the scene, but usually separate. Mixing the genres the way they did was able to keep the interest of both fanbases and create a more diverse crowd at shows. It had the breakdowns, screams, and heaviness that metalcore fans look for and the upbeat, fast, happier pop-punk sound that pop-punk fans like. No matter what, you are able to hear the influence of both genres on the album, making it a favorite for both metalcore and pop-punk fans. Those who haven't really tried out the other genre were able to use the album as a stepping stone too.

They did not just bridge the gap between the genres, but they also influenced future bands. "On the pop-punk spectrum, bands like Neck Deep, The Story So Far, and State Champs slipped into the space ADTR created for a resurgence of aggressive, stage-divey pop-punk." The Story So Far for example is not easycore, but heavier pop-punk with angry yelling instead of screaming. This yelling is borrowed from hardcore, which shows how A Day To Remember normalized the idea of mixing genres. The normalization of mixing genres in the scene is what helped create the new era of pop-punk, a heavy, aggressive and angry sounding pop-punk. It was no longer the happy, upbeat, silly pop-punk like Blink-182 anymore. It became more serious and heavier. Without Homesick, the pop-punk scene would be different today. It really shaped the scene to be what it is now.

Sources:

https://www.kerrang.com/features/a-day-to-remembers-homesick-changed-pop-punk-and-metal-forever/

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/949720/a-day-to-remember-scores-memorable-debut-on-billboard-200

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