Much like Motion City Soundtrack or Cursive before them, Bayside have reached a pivotal point in their musical career – a fork in the road where one path offers the potential to reinvigorate their sound, and the other takes them down the same route they have been travelling for some years.
On ‘Cult’ – the sixth full-length by the Queens based pop-punks (and I use the term loosely) – Bayside opt for the latter. Flush with opportunity offered by another new record label and critical praise for 2011’s ‘Killing Time’, Bayside had the chance to break out of their mould and to try their hand at something new. Instead, ‘Cult’ feels destined to traverse the well-trodden road with little longevity.
Frontman Anthony Raneri’s vocals remain instantly recognisable – a trait that has formed a partition in opinion since ‘Sirens and Condolences’ – while the music on offer sways from straightforward pop to melodic rock, not far removed from the type that might adorn an edgy Gossip Girl or Grey’s Anatomy episode soundtrack.
Throughout, Raneri’s voice is characterised by its often off-kilter tone or its flirtation with gruffness. The recognisability has a part to play, yet the variation is minimal – playing into the record’s repetitive nature. The biggest flaw here however, is the removal of any raw emotion or intensity from the sound – the polish has extradited the kick that Bayside have demonstrated in the past.
In keeping with their lyrical content, the majority of ‘Cult’ presents itself as downtrodden and sober, the tempo and style never elevating above the norm. Even Raneri appears to be going through the motions, not pushing his vocal abilities and failing to impart any true feeling.
Despite its namesake, after 38 minutes there is little to draw you back to ‘Cult’. Competing with contemporaries for longevity, and confined within its user made walls, the LP is nothing that hasn’t been heard before.
There is nothing fundamentally awful about the record, yet Bayside find themselves on a stagnant path longingly glancing back at that fork in the road.
BEN TIPPLE