‘Hell in Paradise’ is a refreshing take on the pop-rock genre

This week, we had reassurance that pop-rock is, in fact, not dead.

Gainesville pop-rock band Arrows in Action released their third EP, “Hell in Paradise,” on Friday.

The new record marks a shift in the style and tone of their music as they become a more experienced and polished band.

Victor Viramontes-Pattison, the band’s vocalist and rhythm guitarist, said they decided to simplify and focus on expanding their music to new audiences.

“Going into the ‘Hell in Paradise’ EP, we dropped anything unnecessary,” Viramontes-Pattison said. “We started focusing hard on what we wanted to do, how to promote it, how to shop it around to people and how to get it out to as many people as possible.”

The EP also introduces two new members, with guitarist Matt Fowler and bassist Tony Farah joining Viramontes-Pattison and drummer Jesse Frimmel.

Arrows in Action have a recording philosophy of no B-sides, meaning each song should be able to stand on its own as if it were a single. Every song on “Hell in Paradise,” being well-crafted and capable of standing up to scrutiny, achieves this goal.

The entire EP has high energy and a consistent fast tempo. Regardless of whether you’re playing the EP straight through or on shuffle, the songs fit seamlessly together.

The songs are more focused on melody rather than lyrics. Moving away from lyrically driven music is the greatest departure from Arrows in Action’s earlier EPs.

It is very difficult to pinpoint what the best song on the EP is as each piece has its place on the record. That being said, “Chasing Rhymes” is a standout song because it deviates from the structure of the rest of the record. It is lighter than the other songs and has a heavier focus on the lyrics. “Chasing Rhymes” references Arrows in Action’s lyric-focused earlier records while still maintaining the newfound musical depth found throughout the rest of “Hell in Paradise.”

If you are looking to relive the glory days of pop-rock, then this is a fantastic EP to pick up.

“Hell in Paradise” is available for purchase and download on Spotify, iTunes and on Arrows in Action’s Bandcamp.

Arrows in Action performed at the High Dive in Gainesville on May 31 to celebrate the released of their EP.