If this is the First Time...,
The TowersSome of us at Punktastic love to play the genre name game more than others, what with everything '-core' seemingly more fashionable than a mesh cap and studded belt combo. We cover everything from the norms of pop-punk to hardcore, all the way to intellipunk and peace punk. But much to our shame it seems we overlooked one genre, with five piece 'The Towers' fitting directly into it. Ladies and gentleman, I introduce to you, wuss rock! And after that particularly scathing introduction to the band, I'll retain my professionalism and tell you about the pitfalls of their four track EP...
It all actually begins rather brightly with the up tempo - up beat 'Cry Tonight'. The fuzzy guitars complement the bouncy nature of the song and all in all it bodes well for the rest of the EP. But on follow up 'Amrik Singh' it all goes horribly wrong after about 10 seconds, once again after a another promising introduction. After that, it simply sinks into poor vocals with somber and sloppy arrangements drowning the song beyond comprehension. Even a mere two tracks into the record, I am worrying about what is left in store for me. 'Born Again' manages to slow it down even more while the only slight saving grace is final track, 'The Stix Effect' which has a strong chorus, but once again the shitty verses let it all down. It is no great surprise to see that The Towers note Blink 182 and The Thrills as influences, with the distorted guitars reminiscent of 'Budda' era Blink, and added with the pop naffness of the Thrills, it isn't particularly a mixture which goes down that well.
I always feel bad slagging off bands, especially ones that are unsigned and plugging away at this music lark with some vain hope of becoming big, but for the moment, I just can't see that happening for The Towers. The lyrics are generally weak and lack any great insight, the music is basic to say the least and at times it seems as if parts of the songs don't even link correctly together. For the moment, I suggest The Towers try to rebuild.
Jay
www.thetowersrock.co.uk
