Wayfarer/The Decay – Decayfarer

The southern Ontario punk rock scene has been building and swelling for quite some time now, and is about to hit it’s spilling point. While neither are relics in age, stature, or output, Wayfarer and The Decay have both contributed significantly to the face of independent music and the persistence of a scene in the area. On the surface, theDecayfarer split seems obvious; why didn’t this happen years ago? The record’s sound is anything but simple to figure out; both sides of the LP feature the respective bands at their most developed. While neither band has left their roots behind, The Decay have expanded on their street punk beginnings and Wayfarer their fairly linear pop-punk origin. Decayfarer utilizes the best in writing ability from both these young and upcoming bands.

The Decay’s side of the 12” split is chalk full of sing-a-long choruses and self depreciating verses sung over melodic punk with a distinct folk tinge at times. This is the sound that The Decay have been moving toward since mohawks made sense. The Decay speed things back up to “This Month’s Rent” pace with the short but sweet “Every Day”, which acts as the perfect preface to the band’s closest attempt at a ballad, the five-and-a-half minute “Razor Burn”.

On the flipside, Wayfarer have stemmed away from their heavily Hot Water Music influenced earlier work (as if their name didn’t already give off that impression) to lengthen their songs, elaborate their stories, and expand on co-lyricist’s Steve Sloane and Kyle Kriche’s signature metaphors. But don’t fret, oh bearded ones, there’s still plenty of punk kicking around these riffy, harmonized tracks. Somehow they’ve managed to make their already personable lyrics even more relatable without over encumbering the listener, much to their delight.

Both sides combine to create one of the best split records you’ll hear all year, regardless of where you’re from. Thankfully for those unable to purchase this LP from either band, the whole record is available for free download through Juicebox.