Without the luxury of a well-honed sound to fall back on or a sizeable fanbase eagerly awaiting every new song, it can be hard for any band to create interest ahead of launching their debut EP. Light The Way have signed to Indie Vision Music for the digital only release of âGraceâ and, although theyâre clearly very proud of every song, the reaction from the wider world is likely to be lukewarm at best.
âNote To Selfâ kicks off with an intro that every pop punk band is legally required to use as crunchy melodic guitars tease the hook that the song is built around. Positive lyrics âBe the change that you want to see, rearrange your prioritiesâ will be warmly greeted and passionately sung along to by fans but the familiar sounding vocals donât inject the emotion that you would expect from a modern pop punk band. Â
âBlack Wavesâ is the token fast song, made up of equal parts skate punk and Set Your Goals’ vocal interplay. Itâs a bit blink and youâll miss it but itâs also where Light The Way show the most promise. As âGraceâ progresses, so more pop punk staples find their way into the EP. âBRKNâ is the slightly darker and moodier counterpart, both lyrically and musically, but the drumming is underwhelming and itâs a wasted opportunity to inject some personality into the record.
Unfortunately itâs all downhill from here as Light The Way sink further into mediocrity. âIâm Sorryâ features a weak and irritating guitar line that resurfaces throughout the song but it lacks any flare or craft and is more annoying every time it appears. Rounding out âGraceâ is not one but two acoustic songs, although one is merely an unplugged rendition of âNote To Selfâ. Itâs rare to get filler on a short EP, but the acoustic version adds nothing to the release and doesnât offer anything different to the full band version aside from the obvious absence of amps. âScatterbrainedâ is an original song, but the poor production means the strings, vocals, and guitars sound out of step with each other.
Light The Way have spoken about how they werenât aiming for a specific sound when they recorded âGraceâ, stating that the end result sounded like âa massive marriage of all the bands we listen to everydayâ. Whilst theyâre clearly happy with the end result, the lack of a clear identity is a real obstacle that, quite simply, they fail to overcome. If youâre desperate for new pop punk to get your teeth into then you may find something to enjoy. For everyone else, youâll get more enjoyment listening to the many other bands that Light The Way clearly look up to.
CHRIS HILSON