I’ve debated giving this 3 or 3.5 and ended up picking the latter, although only just. F451 are a frustrating beast because they have all the hallmarks of being a very good band, but they miss the final ingredient – great songs. The trio here are merely good, leaving you with the feeling their Living End-esque pop-punk sound could, and probably should, be so much better. Everything about this EP is solid – ‘Don’t Change The Calendar’ is good without being great, while ‘The Inequality of Now’ reminds me of a punk Franz Ferdinand, which isn’t really a good thing but I guess there’s enough about the song to stand out. ‘The Start of the End of the World’ is the best song here, but as I said in the band’s last review there’s an x-factor missing and I feel that’s precluding the band from kicking on and really making a name for themselves. The talent is there, and this is good don’t get me wrong, but I still sense the best is yet to come.
www.f451.org.uk
paul