Safehouse – Collision Course
Safehouse is the songwriting vehicle for Dillon Vetere – a singer/songwriter from West Palm Beach. His latest offering is the twelve-song Collision Course, a punchy and raw nod toward early ’00s pop-punk brattiness. Gone are the atmospheric and ethereal indie vibes from his previous output – Collision Course course-corrects into simple but effective punk rock songwriting. Expect big power chords, straightforward attitude, and nursery-rhyme-melodies from Vetere – Blink 182 is the obvious comparison, but dig a little deeper and you’ll hear hints of nerdcore icon Atom and his Package and/or deeper cut acts like Allister or Fenix TX.
Vetere kicks things off with the surf-inspired “Mockingbird” – chunky, chorus-laden guitar chords stab out swimmy laces of notes overtop a rolling tom beat. The song is delightfully simplistic, letting its easily-digestible parts come together into a catchy and relatable whole. Vetere’s vocal melodies are the true appeal here, cribbing the aforementioned Delonge-method of hooky, nursery-rhyme-melodies into one of the ear-wormiest songs on the album. He follows it up with the more straight-up punk of “Bad Attitude” – it’s more menacing and driven than it’s predecessor, but it has the same relentless, melody-driven approach and fun rhythmic play that makes these songs so fun.
Another album highlight comes from “Take Flight” – one of the LP’s most ebullient songs. With driven guitar energies, a fun lead riff, and another ruthless vocal melody, “Take Flight” truly highlights the late ’90s/early ’00s raucousness that this album was inspired by. This energy can be found everywhere throughout Collision Course, including our nod for album favorite, “If You Want Me To Believe,” which has a quirky, ’90s college rock leaning with its big three-chord progression and big, catchy hooks.
There’s a little something for everyone here on Collision Course. Song three, “Cant Break From This,” dives into emo sensibilities, channeling the darker side of pop-punk (think Alkaline Trio), culminating in a full-throated scream. “Keep Your Spirit Living On” starts with a stripped-back acoustic song that explodes mid-way through. “Catch You There” and “Coast to Coast” are built around plucky guitar riffs that remind you of why you like pop-punk in the first place. Stick around to catch the beautiful album closer, “Forever Ending, Goodbye.” With it’s descending guitar progression and heartfelt intro, it brings to mind “Stay Together For The Kids” or “The Kids Aren’t Alright” – one of those late 90s/early aughts bangers from your favorite pop punk band that held a deeper, darker meaning.
Collision Course is out now (February 28, 2025). Check it out via the Spotify embed below.
Categorised in: Album Reviews
This post was written by Nick Sessanna