Lacey – ‘I Don’t Owe the World a Thing’

By Kathryn Black

With soaring choruses and a sound to rival some of the chart’s most popular bands, Lacey are a surprise addition to a bouncy pop punk tour with Bowling for Soup. There’s nothing cheery about this release, however, as ‘I Don’t Owe The World A Thing’ is an EP that’s not going to set any hearts on fire.

Compared to the upbeat, hopeful songs of their previous effort, their debut full-length album ‘Under The Brightest Lights’, the EP’s sound is darker and has lyrics to match.

‘Shadow’ is an impressive opener, one of those songs that fills the space it’s played in, it’s surely going to win over some new fans. The thing is, it’s all stuff we’ve heard before. Plenty of bands played like this in the years you’d be sticking their songs on your Myspace profile.

Surprisingly, it’s actually ‘Hoax’ that takes the role of lead single. A similar vein to the previous track, it doesn’t seem as exciting but with slow strumming and a growling bridge, it shows a pop-rock tinge we’re used to seeing from the band and holds a glimpse of what new listeners are missing out on elsewhere.

‘Ghost While I’m Alive’ tries to take on the role of epic ballad but lead singer Graz Turner’s vocals aren’t strong enough to carry something so slow and brooding. Like the entirety of this record, it has the potential to go so far but there’s just a little something missing.

With inoffensive melodies and wailing choruses, you won’t write home about this EP, but it’s worth a dig around before you listen to their other, better, releases. The Nottingham four piece have some cracking songs already out there: check out ‘Tonight’.

KATHRYN BLACK

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