REVIEW: Action/Adventure - Ever After

Even though warm and sunny days are no more, for some of us it is pop-punk season all year round. ACTION/ADVENTURE’s sophomore album Ever After provides a perfect soundtrack both to cheer up the listener, as well as to accompany the heaviness that comes with autumn - or fall, as they say in the band's home of Chicago. This release offers a great interpretation of what a classic pop-punk record should be, this time loaded with hefty riffs and overall a heavier, denser sound. The band formed a little over a decade ago, with their breakthrough moment being credited to a viral Tiktok video the band made back in 2020. Barricades, the song featured within, highlights the hurdles and prejudice faced by the all-BIPOC band in the scene. Indeed, the lack of diversity and representation within pop-punk music is still striking, despite big portions of the audience coming from a wide range of backgrounds. 

This experience, however, also meant that ACTION/ADVENTURE have their own unique story that they continue to tell all throughout their music journey. Shortly after having been signed to Pure Noise Records in 2021, the group released an EP titled Pulling Focus, followed by their debut full-length record in 2022. Its name Imposter Syndrome is self-explanatory: the lyrics focus on the aftermath of finally receiving some form of recognition and success, and the feelings of self-doubt that inevitably come along with it. 

Fast forward to this year, the band continues to explore similar themes with their sophomore album Ever After. Although the sound of some songs may appear bright at first glance, in true pop-punk spirit, it's loaded with some of the most vulnerable emotions one could confess. A group of musicians made it, did a couple of successful tour laps, and got to work with some of the loudest names in the scene: but what comes at the end, ‘ever after’? 

As guitarist and vocalist BROMPTON JACKSON discloses, the band has recently experienced one of the lowest points in their mental state. This is reflected in tracks such as That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime [AMV] which discusses the duality that touring life brings. Having to come down from the high, back home and once again to their day jobs, artists often lose themselves in the process: “I’ve relived so many lives, I forgot which one is mine”.

Once we dive deeper into the lyrics, a lot of the songs on the new ACTION/ADVENTURE record simply cannot be taken lightly anymore. Seconds/Centuries opens with a melancholic acoustic intro, painting the imagery of hopelessness and despair. The song later grows into rageful screams and progressive riffs and solos, as if physically pulling the narrator out of this state and giving them energy to keep fighting. Floortime is another prime example; a cry over the world always moving on while all we can do is lie on the floor about it.

The heavy topics of the record are also mirrored by the heavier texture of its musical sound. Tracks like Big Al Dente, despite being just short of three minutes, manage to include plenty of development within and even a breakdown at the end. ACTION/ADVENTURE did not forget to include some catchy choruses either: the melody of Spiral just begs to be sung along to next festival season. The album manages to keep uniformity and continuity without plummeting into bland repetition. Moreover, having two vocalists whose voices compliment each other so well makes for plenty of ability to expand their sound - so even those unfamiliar with the band at all are also in for a treat.

If one could be convinced enough by this point to at least take a look at the tracklist, it would take them by surprise. It is ACTION/ADVENTURE’s first run of bringing on featured artists on an album - and it's three great names straight off the bat. Ex-REAL FRIENDS’ DAN LAMBTON joins them first, followed by BEN JORGENSEN of ARMOR FOR SLEEP, who also wrote a bridge for the song, and of course the UK’s pop-punk YouTubestar NOAHFINNCE. For the band, this must feel like one of the ‘pinch-me’ moments, but it is truly a glowing sign of their success. Despite all the self-consciousness the artists express in the lyrics, the music that they can create together will always be worth it.

Ever After is clearly not the case of an album where all the hits have already been released as singles – there are plenty of gems hidden within, and every song is a great standalone piece. With all its unique genre-bending tricks, it is also an album that could satisfy not only the pop-punk audience, but also any lover of hard rock and heavy metal. Lead single Real Juicer Hours opened with: “I heard you had another breakdown, who cares?” Whether they meant it in the emotional or musical sense of the word, we suggest someone should and does in fact care. 

Score: 8/10

Ever After will be released on October 24th 2025 via Pure Noise Records.

Words: Mariia Bulkina

Photos: Action/Adventure