Two years ago, way back in the last century, Lit launched themselves into the mainstream with the infectious slice of rock that was ‘A Place in the Sun’. Now they have returned with their third studio album, ‘Atomic’, hoping to once again put a little bit of sunshine into the music industry.
Any doubts over the sound of the new album are instantly washed away with opener, ‘Something to Someone’. It begins by fading in crowd noises and explodes into trademark Lit, big riffs and catchy lyrics, with A. Jay’s vocals sounding as good as ever. ‘The Last Time Again’ takes a slightly different musical approach but is still catchy-as-hell!
The two-standout tracks on the album sit proudly next to each other on the track listing. ‘Lipstick and Bruises’ features some of the best guitar riffs that Jeremy Popoff has produced, and has hit single written all over it. ‘Everything’s Cool’, on the other hand, is every bit as good as ‘Zip-Lock’, probably the best song from the previous album.
One area where the band have progressed is the ability to add more depth to their slower songs. Both ‘Happy in the Meantime’ and ‘Sunny Weather’ sit nicely alongside the faster tunes, and provide an effective contrast in style. Special mention at this point has to go to ‘She Comes’, by far the most mature and heartfelt song the band have written to date, which also features some great vocal melodies. (And yes it still manages to have an insanely catchy chorus!)
However, its not all good news. As on the last album, a couple of the tracks reek with the stench of being album fillers. Please stand up ‘Next Time Around’ and ‘Slip’. To make up for this the band have kindly included the excellent ‘Over My Head’, which was previously only available on the Titan AE soundtrack, as a bonus track, which is nice!
If you loved the last album, then ‘Atomic’ is most definitely for you. There will be people out there who won’t appreciate Lit’s brand of sun-drenched rock, but then there are people who don’t smile very often. ‘Atomic’, is, in my eyes at least, a perfect blend of rock (with a hint of punk) and is just as worthwhile a purchase as its predecessor.
Mark
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