1. Leather Empire
2. No Pizza
3. Drug Lord
4. See Ya Later
5. Good Vibes
6. Monsters
William Bonney is a screamo band from Indiana (and surrounding states?) that formed after the break-up of popular screamo legends, Merchant Ships. Featuring two members from 'Ships, Jack Senff (vocals in both) and Michael Gerstein (bass in MS, guitar in WB), WB had a lot to live up to when they released their Fall Demo last year. While it saw some success, a lot of people (myself included) felt it couldn't hold a torch up to MS's last release, the seminal For Cameron EP. However, Good Vibes is a completely different story.
Opening track "Leather Empire" sounds like what the Fall Demo should have been - a healthy mix of jangly guitars, "noodly" riffs, a mix of raw vocals and a batch of group shouts. While it's not the most impressive song on the release, it certainly draws the listener in to the next surprising track- "No Pizza", a rerecording from their Fall Demo. This version is much more visceral and has more of a hardcore vibe, courtesy of cymbal and double-kick heavy drums. However, the opening two tracks pale in comparison to the later portion of the release. The amount of despair and energy that is packed into "Drug Lord", the rerecording of "See Ya Later" (my personal favorite), "Good Vibes", and the incredible closing track "Monsters" is phenomenal. Each track hits harder than the last and they represent everything Merchant Ships wishes it was.
Sadly, WB has announced they're not going on tour and, I believe, are calling it quits. After hearing Good Vibes, I believe that gives everyone reason to be upset. Keep your ears peeled for their split with Droughts, though. One track, "Red River", is streaming already and it's incredible.
