EP Review: The Paradox – NSFW

It’s been a meteoric rise for Atlanta-based pop-punk outfit The Paradox, but once you hear NSFW, you’ll know it’s a deserved one.

The band assembled a mighty list of collaborators on NSFW – see below – as the band breathes new life into the classic sounds of pop-punk, putting emotionally literal messages at the heart of songs like Get The Message.

Vocalist Eric Dangerfield has the perfect voice for this genre – youthful and yearning – as he knows how to bring the pop side to the fore on Do It Again, as, with his bandmates, they jump gleefully into the punk side of the equation on the musical side. The best pop-punk bands impart messages that, while not always serious in nature, are deeply personal and universal, and The Paradox achieve that with aplomb on Do It Again and Leave My Room.

The latter track especially has what makes The Paradox great exponents of pop-punk: lyrics you can identify with – if not at this particular point in your life, then maybe not so long ago – or very long ago in my case!

Holding your own when singing with Travis Barker, like they do on Bender, is not only a sign of how far the band has come in such a short time but also illustrates how they have what it takes to become a top-tier rock band.

The Paradox were the first all-Black band to reach number one on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, and I’d put that down to the songs first, but also the sheer freshness and fun the band exudes on every track on NSFW. Get yourself mosh-pit ready for their visit to your town; you’re going to need it!

Tackling familiar topics, because life and love do often suck for all of us at some point, means that the quartet had to display their songwriting talent and musicianship to stand out from the crowd – and boy have The Paradox delivered, making pop-punk feel new again. Props to the band for the rhyming couplet ‘You hit me with your Subaru / What the fuck is wrong with you,’ something you know audiences will be singing back to them!

NSFW is out now to stream on all major platforms, including YouTube Music, SoundCloud, and Spotify. Check out the band’s Instagram and TikTok for all things music and otherwise from The Paradox.

Collaborators on NSFW include Michael Pepe, Brandon Shoop, Blaise Railey, Lil Aaron, Jackson Southorn (aka Jakkyboi), Curtis Peoples, Kenneth Mount, Zack Odom, Daniel Omelio (aka Robopop), Nick Furlong, as well as that appearance by Travis Barker on Bender.