Album Review: Knives – One Cut Away From Love

It’s a new album from a new band with a new nostalgia.

One Cut Away From Love is the first album from the pop-punk band Knives. Knives appears as a ’00s garage band with catchy rhythms and memorable guitar solos. Released in November 2024, their debut album is nostalgic in its subject matter. Stylistically, their varying elements of pop tempos and punk riffs strongly contribute to this evocative theme where listeners can experience the vivid memories of a celebrated past era.

Knives is more than just a group of early aughts bad boys. In fact, they are romantic, thoughtful, and profound. In each song, lead vocalist Danny Guzman sings about love, heartbreak, and an appreciation for a specific place and the person who makes it special. Their lyrics reveal a creative depth surrounded by mesmerizing guitar chords and classic punk screams.  

The first track, “My Only Gold,” is a strong start as it contains themes and rhythmic patterns that are further accented throughout the rest of the album. Opening with a penetrating drum sequence, invaded by swift electric guitar chords and a severing scream, the song gives an informative first impression of Knives’ aspiring musical blend. This is further supported by their lyricism in which Guzman sings about a relationship to which he would return despite having his heart broken: “I would come back home / I would walk alone / Just to see you on the other side again.” It is a song about being willing to give oneself up regardless of the probable pain that will meet them upon doing so.

“Darling Please” is another song that stands out for focusing on a half complete heart. Beginning on a slower beat, it borrows vocals from Carlisle Louise Brunswickas, who acts as a flaky girlfriend calling to break up for what may not be the first time. Queue Guzman’s response as he sings, “A quick reminder that I’m just not the one / the one that gets to live inside your heart.” While every song is soaked with this one-sided affection, “Darling Please” is unique as it is a genuine pondering, rather than a retelling, of the vocalist’s failure to obtain loyalty in return for his own.

The final track, Ghost, is an electric conclusion to the album. It is a satisfying finale with its lively chord combinations and Guzman’s reminiscent vocals that sing, “Darling hold me close to breathe you / Don’t tell me that this night is almost over.” Although there is no resolution to the turbulent romance of the previous songs, the genuine sentimentality is found in the fact that these moments are very well the last – which is what Knives nostalgia is all about. Ghost is not just directed at long-lost loves; it encapsulates the specific time one felt free to love.  

For a new group, Knives takes a mighty plunge into the scene. Their musical combination of pop and punk musical genres filters into their authentic sound and establishes them as a promising up-and-coming punk band.