Bearings has enough hooks to open their own bait and tackle shop.
The Best Part About Being Human (Pure Noise Records) is also being able to get lost in the magnificently vibrant and elegant vocal lines throughout the entire record.
It’s Pop Punk to the core (with a touch of Country influence, but don’t let that deter you), and each track provides a recluse from the evergreen misery of the real world.
But seriously, this record has it all.
There’s a saxophone solo (“Ocean Dream”), an apparent nod to late-era Good Charlotte (“Gone So Gone”) and enough catchiness to give the CDC haunting flashbacks (“Scenery.”).
Try as you might to not smile incessantly through The Best Part About Being Human, it’s damn near impossible. “Make Your Way Back To Me” is a very warm acoustic number, and the vocal rope-a-dope that is “Go Long” challenges even the biggest miser to lighten up a little.
Frontman Dougie Cousins, contrary to popular belief, is not an eighties greaser featured in a B-movie you find for free on a random streaming service. His voice is one that needs to be cemented into the ears of everyone involved in this genre, if it isn’t already. It’s unique, but it’s also captivating and attention-grabbing.
It has an innate feeling of warmth, security, and delicacy, but is elevated and amplified on here in a way that injects vibrance and moxie. It’s also not at all surprising to find out Bearings is a Canadian group because they exude the patented charm and friendliness of the neighbors up north.
The deluxe edition also features a trio of acoustic renditions: “Scenery,” “Gone So Gone” and “Slip.”
And I cannot leave out the key change in the hook on “Howie, You’re A Freak.” There are also group vocals and stellar range, but a key change will always get my juices flowing.
The only way someone can see The Best Part About Being Human in a negative light is if they hate Pop Punk or despise having a reason to escape the rigamarole that is modern-day society.
Buy the album here:
https://lnk.to/Bearings
8 / 10
MATT COOK