I seem to be writing the same thing in reviews all too often on Punktastic. That old adage that "X" band is pretty good but totally generic and unoriginal seems to crop up in literally every other review, which is getting daft. June, who recently inked a deal with Victory Records, fall into that category. Their brand of Hidden In Plain View-esque emo-pop is as predictable as they come, but it's done very, very well, so well in fact that I'm prepared to forgive the fact they've borrowed every genre cliche and hand them a good review. The songs on offer here have been heard before, of that there's no doubt, but June play this style of music as good as anyone. The melodies, especially in the vocals, are extremely strong and the harmonies really make this EP worth checking out.
The quartet hail from Chicago and mix the styles of bands like Spitalfield and The Early November - there are choruses galore and plenty of clean sounding guitars. It's a sound that has been done to death in recent months, but it's also a sound that is extremely popular. While many bands have tried, and failed, to make an impact, this EP, which was released on The Vinyl Summer, managed to get the attention of Victory Records, who promptly snapped them up. This EP is a good showcase and sets the scene for what promises to be a real summer record for 2005. On tracks like 'OK Corral' and 'You Had It Coming But This Time You're A Dead Man', vocalist Tim Brennan sings his heart out and there's a passion and energy which creates a real charm.
Without trying to repeat myself, June is a band that doesn't do too many new things, but what they do they do very well. With a bigger budget, a decent producer and time on the road, 2005 promises to be a year where the band can really make an impact. Fans of the melodic side of the 'emo' genre will really enjoy this band and could do a lot worse than making this a starting point.
www.junerock.com
Vinyl Summer Recordings
Paul
