Whether you like them or not, it’s inevitable Four Letter Lie will be Victory’s next platinum selling act. There’s a certain inevitability while listening to ‘Let Your Body Take Over’ that suggests their Hawthorne Heights-meets-Atreyu sound will have them bound for MTV and TRL stardom in a matter of months, if not weeks. While Victory tends to get a bad rep for some of the bands it signs, you cannot fault them for picking acts that sell records. Look at Thursday, Taking Back Sunday, Straylight Run, Hawthorne Heights…the list is endless. All of those bands have strong sales, most well into the six, if not, seven figure mark, and you can just tell FLL will join that alumni. Why? Well a brief listen to this album will give you every answer you need.
Sounding like the perfect genetically modified clone of Fall Out Boy and Atreyu – perhaps a more catchy Hawthorne Heights? – FLL have everything needed to sell records. This record captures a moment in time perfectly. It carries the melodies of the more poppy bands with the aggression of Victory’s harder bands. It’s perfect for what it is – a contrived coming together of two popular sounds to make one super-popular genre. And while in practice you have to applaud a band for coming up with the novel approach of ripping off two very successful bands in the hope of creating one even bigger force – something that will happen, trust me – there’s also something a bit worrying about a band blatantly coming up with this concept.
At times ‘Let Your Body Take Over’ is awkward listening as the mix between pop and the screams doesn’t sit too well. It’s not horrible by any means, but on ‘Feel Like Fame’, for instance, the screaming seems a little out of place. That track, the band’s first single, is catchier than anything off the first Hawthorne Heights record – a band that I believe Victory will look to play them off against, bearing in mind there are a few musical similarities. Each track, while not breaking any new ground at all, has either a huge, crunching breakdown or a ridiculously catchy chorus – there’s very little middle ground, making this one of those records you just know will be huge in a few months time. You can go down the entire tracklisting and say ‘such and such is great’, and even if you hate this type of music with a passion there’s still the sense that you just know this band will be huge.
Like it or not, Four Letter Lie will be your younger sibling’s favourite new band very soon indeed. They have absolutely everything in their arsenal to take over the scene – the look, the sound and the instant appeal. But, for me, the way they have manipulated a musical scene which has become a fashion trend is a worrying start to their career. I don’t blame them and wish them every success, but when the trend finally dies and the fans move on to the next fad, will FLL be left with nothing? Only time will tell. In the meantime, prepare yourself for the Four Letter Lie musical onslaught at a radio near you…