I was losing my mind when this release came out because I have not seen or heard anyone mention the name Dan Lambton in so long. He is a legend — to me. If you are unfamiliar, Dan Lambton is the former original vocalist of Midwest emo band Real Friends and current member of Rationale. I used to watch his Twitch streams weekly, and again, Real Friends is one of my absolute favorite bands ever. Okay, the other half of this song, Action/Adventure, is a pop-punk band on the rise, so you better hop on this train before they take off—because they will. They are a band that makes music with a purpose, and I love that when they introduce a song, they tell the story behind it.

This song, “Something Isn’t Right Here,” is another release off their upcoming album, Ever After, which is set to release on October 24, so go pre-save this album— I have. It’s going to be all bangers, I promise you. 

What’s interesting about this song is it has this sort of electric sound mixed in with their upbeat pop-punk sounds and Blake Evaristo’s power belts. It’s a little different from the other track on this album, “URL,” which has a pretty standard sound for pop-punk songs. According to vocalist/guitarist Brompton Jackson, this song features some electric beats and post-hardcore elements that they have been wanting to lean into for a while. This has been something discussed with Dan Lambton before, and they’re super excited to make this dream a reality.

Overall, I really like how this track sounds, and I think they did an amazing job with the blend between the artists without straying too far from it being a pop-punk track. I think all artists/bands are allowed to experiment, change, and grow in sound. However, I do personally think that sometimes when techno sounds are mixed into the heavier realm, it comes off as cheap or generic sounding. This is not one of those cases. There’s a pause right after the line “Death by dreaming,” and you get this little keyboard solo, which I’ll admit caught me off guard at first. But over time, the way it comes in like a little fun punch then gets mixed in so well as the song transitions back into its pop-punk beats.

I do really like that line, “Death by dreaming,” because it’s just such a different combination of words. Everyone has big dreams, but sometimes it’s such a journey to get there that we ultimately give up—almost like it’s a death wish to have dreams. Similarly, there’s a line in this track, “Another downward spiral, what did you expect?” as if failure is just inevitable. I mean, while death is something we cannot escape, the song title and these lyrics almost fight the idea of perseverance.

The opening lyrics, “I can’t quite shake that something isn’t right here, or am I right where I want to be?”—these lines against each other just give off mixed signals. But sometimes, isn’t that what life is? The journey of growing and finding where we belong in this messed-up world is all anyone wants, right? I know I definitely struggle with the purpose of where I fit in sometimes and am constantly fighting imposter syndrome on a daily basis.

This is what I love about the songwriting and lyrics behind this band. This is also why lyricism is such an important aspect in the music world. There is more meaning to the words, the song, and the message that is supposed to resonate with you. Yes, music can just be for fun and be silly nonsense, but that is not something that Action/Adventure stands for, and I love it.

But I’m just excited to know—is this the return of Dan Lambton to the music world? Will we see more of Rationale coming out? Will there be more collaborations between these two? I need answers. These are not answers I’ll probably receive, but I do know that I need more Rationale. I’ve seen them live one time. I need more than that, please.

Anyways, Action/Adventure is hitting the road this fall with Diva Bleach and Not My Weekend. I can tell you that’ll be a banging lineup, and I need someone to go to a show in my place since it’s unfortunately not coming to Milwaukee—boo! Tickets have been on sale; follow them on social media, and mark your calendars for October 24 for that new album release!

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