When we first heard 4th Flaw's last record, we were mightily impressed. The band seemingly managed to merge elements of Thrice with something altogether more melodic to come up with a sound that was both interesting and innovative. They so impressed they made the final cut of 20 bands for 'Un-Scene', although they did end up on the cutting room floor. The band have kept in touch ever since and this new five-tracker is the recent fruits of their labour. However, I found this to be a little disappoiting. While the band impressed so much first time round, for me there isn't too much progression here. It's not really a backwards step, more a large movement sideways.
The opening track is imaginitely titled 'Intro' and consists of nothing but a fairly bland guitar riff and basic drum pattern. So far, so not very good. 'One Dark Friday' is far, far superior and a lovely chunk of melodic pop-punk, nudging towards Strung Out but far less technical. The vocals are a bit bland and, while it doesn't bother me too much, they are very American in sound. The darker 'Seeing Green' shakes things up a bit by brooding through the first verse, but I didn't find this having the same kind of impact as 'Alex Kidd' did on the last record. 'What Becomes' is a lot better - the guitars get towards shredding territory and the pace adds an urgency that lacks a bit during the earlier songs. However, while the chorus does have a bit of bite, it lacks the killer hook which would send it up a notch further.
The EP ends on 'Dont Judge This', a track that again hints at better things yet doesn't quite deliver. The guitar work is handy and the vocals solid, but there's a lack of pizzaz or a certain 'x'-factor (no, not the Simon Cowell one...) that I feel the band need if they are to take things to the next level. 4th Flaw are clearly more than capable of writing good songs, but I was hoping for something a bit more. The talent is certainly evident, but it hasn't quite been fully utilised. A school report card would give a B- I'm afraid - there's no need for detention just yet, but a bit more application and effort wouldn't go amiss...
www.4thflaw.com
Paul
