With pop-punk becoming a rising topic this past year, many an artist has tried their shot at the genre. Alongside the many artists immersing themselves in guitar beats and heartfelt lyrics, one punk-rocker from Hagerstown, Maryland took on the challenge. His name is conner (yes, still all lowercase), and his debut EP is a triumph for fellow rockers.
Life in the Fast Lane is the title of conner’s debut project, made with producers kodeblooded and Nikita Trekov, and released on August 17, 2022 — the title referring to the reason he’s an artist and the constant thoughts always going on in his head. In an EP trailer he made with Fox Racing, conner says no-one from Hagerstown, Maryland ever made it as a musician, and that he wasn’t sure if he had what it takes. It certainly seems like he has what it takes — and as we dive into the first track of the EP, we become emerged in reasons why.
The project revs into action with the first track, Welcome to the Show, a fast-paced track getting us amped for the remainder of the EP. We’ve already covered this track in a separate review, but you can read it here. As the first track comes to an end, we move on to no goodbyes. A more mellow track, the chorus starts with the line “never had a chance to say goodbye” — ever so slightly echoing back to the project’s title — right before some MCR type drums kick in, fuelled by a catchy, exciting guitar.
The next track features Landon Cube, and dives into similar lyrics as the song before it. Celebration is a great follow up to no goodbyes, ensuring a seamless listening experience as conner once again dives into the topic of life and how things change. As we reach the last “life is a celebration”, we experience a neat transition — different tracks, with the same rhyming pattern holding them together. The internet is another track we’ve covered in a previous review, which you can read here. So far we’ve dove into topics like change, girls (obviously, it’s pop-punk), life, and misfits. It’s only fitting that we should dive into the current state of the internet and social media, before love roulette takes over the speakers.
This next track, love roulette, leads us back into the topic of change, with a more punk, less pop feel. As the guitar plays in the background, conner opens up a bit more which makes the whole project a unique experience. And as the song wraps up, we wrap up the EP with another personal track — mind of a freak. In conner’s EP trailer, he talked about thinking too fast and using music to cope and collect his thoughts. Mind of a freak serves as a doorway into this mindset. Not only do we experience his signature guitar riffs, but we get to experience his mind. We get to experience how he feels, why he does what he does, and why he’s got the “mind of a freak”.
And with that, the project comes to an end. It’s truly a unique thing to experience an artists thought process through their music, and Life in the Fast Lane was just that. Just pop-punk, and an artist spilling his thoughts. Like conner said, no-one from Hagerstown, Maryland has made it
Connect with conner: Instagram | Twitter | SoundCloud
Listen on: Apple Music | Spotify
