The first track on this offering from ATLAS&I is an instrumental introduction and a slightly misleading starter, it’s quite a delicate and atmospheric affair which is more post-rock than the slightly generic emo main-course that the rest of the album serves up.
Okay, so it’s not the most inventive offering but it is well executed. Atlas&I focus heavily on the melody, laying it over expansive soundscapes – think Alexisonfire at their most epic. They’re more radio-friendly than most post-hardcore bands as they’ve opted to steer away from screaming, focusing on more tuneful, yet strained, vocals which bring to mind singers such as Geoff Rickly (Thursday) and Daryl Palumbo (Glassjaw). There’s some plinky piano parts, the bass is chunky, the double-bass pedals thumping and the guitars are sharp. The songs never really let up, it’s a constant cacophony but it’s all just a little bit predictable. Unfortunately, there’s not an awful lot to differentiate Atlas&I from their peers. There are no twists or turns, there’s nothing surprising or unique, it’s just another well produced, well executed, post-hardcore record.
‘In Desolate Times’ doesn’t have its own hook, its own selling point, anything to make it stand out from the crowd. The songs definitely sound ‘big’ but they’re eminently forgettable, they all merge into one long, samey, track. Having said that, the fact that it’s comparable to the records of their peers is a compliment as well as a drawback. It does sound like a top drawer post-hardcore release but the problem with that is, it sounds very American, it sounds very copycat. You’d never guess that Atlas&I were lads from Norwich. ‘In Desolate Times’ is a good building block for the second album, they’ve proved on this record that they’re tight, they can write good songs and their production is spot on, but they need to find a sound that is truly their own, they need to find their niche. They’re ones to watch.
MICHAEL WILSON