_{By Owen Ferguson}

Lonely Heights is poised to be the best punk act out of Utah since The Used broke into the scene in 2001. The Salt Lake City rock band won The Boardwalk’s Battle of the Bands in 2021 and have been releasing solid music and playing wild shows since.

Released in 2022, Welcome to Carnival is the band’s first full EP. With cover art including imagery evoking the same punk/festive sensibilities as The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance and A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out by Panic! at the Disco, and music that screams “I had way too much fun in high school,” you’ve got yourself what seems to be a generic 2000s pop punk EP out of Utah suburbia.

Except generic is the last thing I’d call this project.

Welcome to Carnival is chock full of hard hitting guitar riffs, aggressive rhythms, and intense vocals. It’s very high energy, and just by listening to their music you know that their live shows are absolutely not worth missing. They get their driving drums and aggressive bass from traditional punk rock, and drummer Duke Smith and bassist Dan Hickman work very well together, laying down the creative rhythms of the group’s anthems. Guitarist Clifton Davis is either punching along with commanding power chords or shredding solos in his dark, minor tonality, pulling their sound together in the process. These pop punk musical sensibilities, combined with the crisp vocals and clear lyrical ideas of frontman Kaiden Patch, come together for a final product that is distorted, alluring, and a bit angry.

With rambunctious partying and alcohol use, along with total transparency on mental health issues, the topics this EP delves into may turn some away. However, I implore you to stay and give their music a try. It could show you what exactly was happening in those high school house parties you never went to – the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

The first track on the EP, featuring the same name as the record, is just as creative and interesting as any track from Blink-182 or the Red Hot Chili Peppers, both of which the band cites as influences. However, in suit with the band’s style, the song takes a dark turn. The song starts with an intense shout, “Come on down!” Then it goes on, in a lyrically similar fashion to the 1970s classic “Hotel California,” introducing an enticing and attractive scene. This “carnival” is a bona fide party, and Kaiden’s provocative lyrics would convince many to drop their boring day jobs and give some real action a try. However, as the song progresses, he sings…

“This place is a dream 
We got all that you need
Except it’s not what it seems
It’s made for dangerous thieves.”

This song, along with the rest of the EP, romanticizes a rambunctious and exhilarating lifestyle. However, it elucidates: while everyone is welcome at this carnival, that doesn’t mean it won’t devour you in the process. As we all know, “the wolves must feast on the sheep.” If the song’s subject matter isn’t convincing enough, the ingenious breakdown and guitar solo that ensue halfway through the song create exhilarating musical moments in and of themselves.

And although “Welcome to Carnival” is the best track on the record, the others don’t drag far behind at all. “Cry Baby” shows the band’s soft spot for the feminine, “Greetings from Hell” is an absolute party anthem, and “I’ll Sleep Better When I’m Dead” is a must-listen for the shock factor. For someone who loves pop punk music, this EP is all you could ask for. 

Lonely Heights has done very well to establish a signature sound, and because it’s exceptional, it would be silly to ask them to change it. Nevertheless, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. 

If I had one thing I’d like to see them do, it would be to try releasing some songs that stray from their dominant musical style. If Lonely Heights was able to release some softer songs or ballads, it could go a long way in helping them round out their sound even more. They could also opt for different instrumentation in some tracks, as in acoustic guitar, piano, or adding in some synths. Is following this advice necessary for them? Certainly not. But would I love to see what they could come up with? Absolutely. 

I’ve written too much. Go stream this EP, and definitely catch their next live show whenever it is. I’ve been to three of them, and they truly stand out. That’s saying a lot for the Utah music scene.

Make sure to follow Lonely Heights on Instagram and check out their song “Greetings from Hell” below!