There is a lot of buzz these days surrounding Hey Monday. This female-fronted band inevitably got labeled as Paramore 2.0 or the “new Avril Lavigne” from the moment they were signed to Pete Wentz's Decaydance.  But with their debut album “Hold On Tight,” Hey Monday proves everyone wrong. The quintet from Florida shows that there is space for another unique, female fronted band in the pop/rock scene.

The album opens with the incredibly catchy guitar rifts of “Set Off.” From the moment she begins singing, Cassadee proves herself as a vocal powerhouse. This song is proves the band potential airwave dominating sound. At first listen, they might sound like every typical pop/rock band but Cassadee’s vocal performance definitely gives them a unique touch. Following is the “How You Love Me Now,” which has an extremely explosive chorus. Definitely a revenge song to sing along to. 
   
The first single, “Homecoming” is certainly one of the best songs of the album. With writing credits that include, William Beckett (The Academy Is..) this song is automatically destined for success. Both lyrically and musically, this song is well done. The bridge to this song is outstanding –the back up vocals are incorporated very nicely. “Obvious” opens with another catchy guitar intro that just gets stronger as the song goes on.

The album takes a swift change with “Candles.” It opens with a string and piano introduction, introducing the necessary ballad of the album. The vocals in this song are just outstanding. By the second verse, the band nicely adds a little electric touch to the song. The chorus is just stunning; the harmonies are nicely balanced between the strings and the back up vocals. If at any point you had doubts about Cassadee’s voice, this song will certainly prove you wrong.

Bringing back the rock sound is one of my personal favorites, “Run, Don’t Walk.” It features the expected catchy guitar rifts and explosive chorus. The drums are extremely well done in this song. Next is, “Josey” another favorite. This song is extremely fast-paced and upbeat as it tells the common story of a drunk friend at parties. The key change at the end of the song is very nicely done. “Hurricane Streets” is more of the same instrumentally, but the chorus shows off Cassadee’s high range.

“Arizona” is one of the catchiest songs of the album. The chorus will definitely have you singing along the second time around. “Should’ve Tried Harder” is more of a slow paced rock song. The chorus sounds very mainstream, but Hey Monday pulls it off nicely. “6 Months” is the perfect song to end the album: a nice, sappy love song.. It is done completely acoustic, again showing off Cassadee’s vocals.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed the album. It might seem like every track is the same, but each one sounds completely different. I can honestly say every song in this album is single-worthy; each one is catchy in their own way.  They are definitely more mainstream than most Decaydance bands. But mainstream never sounded this good. Hey Monday proves that they are not a mix of Avril Lavigne and Paramore. They have their own sound. From Alloy.com to AOL Music, the critics agree that Hey Monday is destined for success. I definitely expect Hey Monday to become extremely popular with “Hold On Tight.”





Cristina Carrazza is the assistant regional head of the Midwest region at Musiqtone.com. You can contact her at cristinacarrazza@musiqtone.com or fill out this feedback form below.