As much as I want to like this album, I just haven’t been able to get my head around it and enjoy the process. It is perfectly acceptable, it ticks all the boxes that you would expect in terms of production and all round quality of play, but something never quite happens to make it worthy of repeat upon repeat listen. Having toured with the consistently underrated thisGirl and the ever-popular Goldfinger, the guitars constantly bend and twine throughout, with the fractured sound and pace working delightfully on certain efforts. But the nagging feel of it not doing anything radically new is always there and as such spoils the experience somewhat. This is that harder emo sound at its most frustrating.
Clocking in at 41 minutes the flow never holds up and neither does the slight tinge of madness that seems to eerily flow within each of the twelve songs. The lyrics and vocals of Spencer Ward shine throughout with impressively poetic vitriol’s planted throughout a trio of standout tracks which include the dark and brooding ‘Saltwater Smile’, the thunderous ‘Comfort of Repetition’ and the standout ‘Degrees of Separation’. But while it may never completely reel you in, it does provide many adequate forms of energetic pace changes and arrangement which does wonders for the feel of the experience as a whole. But while tracks such as the flat ‘Red’ don’t really add much to the fold, for every unimaginative slice of Welsh pie, there is another waiting to pick things up (Lady Baby) and reaffirm faith in the quartet.
As these types of emocore albums go, it is neither here nor there. It will delight but in equal measures disappoint as it never finds its own footing and could quite easily get lost in the sea of other bands currently choking an over populated scene. If you like this type of thing or even have a passing interest, fine. If not, it maybe best to steer clear.
Jay
Alpha Engineering
www.locusofcontrol.co.uk