The Florida five-piece A Day To Remember certainly took a huge step up with last year’s ‘Homesick’, winning them plenty more dedicated fans and becoming popular amongst pop punk and metalcore circles. However, ‘What Separates Me From You’ is the album that deserves to take them into a league of their own.

Opener ‘Sticks & Bricks’ smashes you in the face as soon as you press play, with chugging, metallic riffs and roared vocals showing that they’re not losing their heavier edge any time soon. The fact that they segue into a big chorus organically shows exactly why A Day To Remember are better than 99% of singing/screaming bands overcrowding the scene right now.

Elsewhere, there are more polished, poppier anthems such as infectious first single ‘All I Want’ and the bouncing ‘It’s Complicated’, which show that their beatdown pop punk chops are easily as good as Set Your Goals or Four Year Strong. However, ‘This Is The House That Doubt Built’ is almost too melodic and lacks power and pace.

There’s only one or two tracks that don’t hit home though. Marking the album’s half-way mark is fifth track ‘2nd Sucks’, and it’s a crushing metalcore that proves that the band are pulling no punches with this record and swinging with both heavy and heavily melodic fists and scoring multiple knockout blows. Later the brilliantly titled ‘You Be Tails, I’ll Be Sonic’ also has an impressive disregard for genre boundaries.

‘Better Off This Way’ is a potentially huge anthem, with massive “woah” parts and ‘All Signs To Lauderdale’ is another sure fire fan favourite that simply soars while keeping the energy up and bringing some sunny pop punk and a big gang vocal into these dark winter days. Closer ‘If I Leave’ has a belting riff and more upbeat melodies that makes it my personal favourite and a great way to seal the deal.

Leaping between pop punk and metalcore with aplomb, often within the same song, there’s few (if any) bands doing this as well as A Day To Remember and with such memorable melodies and ripping rage. What separates them from their peers? The songs. Pure and simple.