These songs sound like a cross between Welcome To The Night and So Long Astoria. I have been wanting to hear 12/15/10 since they added it to their live sets. It was good live. Also the redone version of Fastimes is very different but if the album sounds like this then I can't wait. The Ataris will always be one of my favorites in pop punk.

eh I could care less about drama but when it comes to evaluating these songs they sound great. I honestly would've been ok if The Ataris didn't ever come out with a new album but while I am not going to wait on the edge for its release date I will definitely get it if it comes out. The Ataris were once one of my favorite bands and saw them live this year and it was awesome.

Originally Posted by cmark88

I'm definitely getting the vibe of an album that's between those two sounds too. I love both those records. I feel like people that judged Welcome to the Night album and never went back should go back to it now, because it may sound better to you if your tastes have matured over the years! Same thing with Matchbook Romance's 'Voices'....

I won't lie I did not like it at first but listened to it a 2 years ago and loved it. It is different and barely sounds like The Ataris but was good in a different way. I really like the bridge between those sounds. 12/15/10 is something I have wanted to hear for a long time.

Originally Posted by hectorial85

I might be wrong but the tour EP with a new version of Fast Times was a live version and had this track listing:

1: Soul and Fire (Sebadoh cover)
2: Oh Kansas City
3: Fast Times At Dropout High (live)
4: Cardiff By The Sea (live)
5: The Cheyenne Line (live)
6: Secret Handshakes (live)
7: Untitled

The version of Fast Times on this tour EP is really "Welcome The Night"-ish (pretty sure it was recorded late on the touring cycle for that LP) with a long outro and some great guitar work.

This new studio version is fucking great. Loving new Ataris :)

That tour EP sounds awesome. I never knew about it. Regardless if the album sounds like this then I am down. I liked All Souls Day and Graveyard of The Atlantic that were previously released because they had a darker sound with still having that so long astoria (one of my favorite albums of all time) elements. These 2 songs just released follow suit with even more Welcome The Night vibe without loosing touch of that so long, astoria vibe. This is generally a more mature sounding melodic punk/alt rock and honestly if The Ataris ever get this album out it may be on a lot of people's ATOY lists despite them not really being active over the last few years.

Originally Posted by hectorial85

It is pretty great. I have another EP Kris was selling in 06 or 07 (?) from Chain Reaction in California. It has no label, writing or anything - literally just a burnt CD of acoustic cover songs. It has this tracklisting:

1: Soul and Fire (Sebadoh) slightly different to the other EP version, I think????
2: Horseshoe Lounge (Slade Cleaves)
3: 747 (Kent)
4: Car (Built To Spill)
5: Priests and Paramedics (Pedro The Lion)
6: We Don't Mind (Hayden)
7: Kiss The Bottle (Jawbreaker)

But yeah, I'm super excited for Graveyard. Loving the 4 songs released from it so far. All Soul's Day is just perfect. I think it'll be right up there with my fave albums if these tunes are any indication.

Again, I'm super happy that there is some Welcome The Night love being posted. I always looked at it as a separate project for Kris but still under The Ataris name. I think he put a lot of effort into that LP so I'm glad it is being acknowledged by others.

I think time will pay off. They have waited a long time to really get this LP done but by combining that alt rock sound with their pop punk sound they have created some really special songs here. If people don't just write off the band because of the drama in current events (all bands have drama) than I got a feeling this album will be really good.

Originally Posted by hectorial85

Agreed. I hope people let the music speak for itself.

Honestly as much as I love pop punk bands and old ataris as well as a whole slew of bands from my childhood are up there as my favorite bands I still really love darker records. Saves The Day, Bayside, Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, Jimmy Eat World, Dinosaur Jr, and more have been on heavy rotation recently. It could just be the weather getting colder but music is perceived based on the mood in which the album exists. A lot of people wrote off Invented by Jimmy Eat World when it came out but it fit within a specific mood that even I had to find and once I did I absolutely loved it.

I honestly did not like Welcome The Night that much when it came out cause it was just such a jarring change but once I found the mood it exists within and how it fits into binges of that style of music it really hit home. So Long, Astoria will always be my favorite as I have so many memories with that album that grow stronger every year (GF found the LP for 20 bucks for my birthday) and Blue Skies is a classic pop punk album. Despite that I think progression in a band should never be written off especially if the listener has not discovered its mood yet. Thats why I think Daybreak is up there as the best or 2nd best Saves The Day record. It branches out while drawing elements from multiple of their albums and lyrically is relatable.