When I first heard All My Balloons, the opening track on Children 18:3's self-titled debut, I fell in love with the band. Children 18:3 was the best band Tooth and Nail had signed in years and their debut was a joyous pop punk record. To say that their follow up, Rain's A Comin', is a darker record is a little misleading because the album isn't dark. But the innocence and joy that was their debut record is replaced with majority and more focused song writing.
Right from the start the title track kicks off the record as an intro to what you're about to hear. Rain's A Comin', the song, is a heavy, driving, rock song. Songs like Cover Your Eyes, The Cruel One, Hey Driftwood, and Oh Bravo all retain the signature Children 18:3 pop punk sound, but all have an edge that wasn't their on the debut. The joyous pop punk is now filled with fury. Wonder I and Jack O Lantern Dreams have a swinging movement that reminds me of MxPx's GSF, while Stronger sounds like a heavier version of Blondie with Lee Marie's vocals coming in hauntingly on the pre-chorus. Lost So Long is a driving rock song that ends the album perfectly. The last official track on the album, The Last Laugh, is an old time piano instrumental piece, that well odd, seems oddly fitting.
Children 18:3 have gone a different direction on Rain's a Comin' and have still managed to create a fantastic record. Majority is showing and it's working out well for the band. Rain's A Comin' is one of the best records I've heard this year.
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