For me there’s little doubt that Madina lake will be the poster boys of 2007, adorning the front cover of mainstream magazines and featuring on a MTV-channel near you soon. With the image and shiny, catchy tunes by the bucketload, Madina Lake – signed to powerhouse indie Roadrunner – will invade your personal space sooner than you think. New record ‘From Them, Through Us, To You’ is emo-by-numbers, all crunching guitars and scream/shout choruses, but at least it’s done in a solid fashion. The only negative is that it’s derivative, generic and a sound that’s been covered a billion times before…
Madina Lake do have catchy songs by the truckload. ‘House of Cards’ has already infiltrated Scuzz and is the standout single on this album – catchy vocals and a solid melody are backed up by an aggressive guitar line, all wrapped up in some sugar-coated production. And the truth is if you’ve heard that song and like it, you’ll enjoy this album. It’s inoffensive enough to gain mainstream appeal, with tracks like ‘Now or Never’ and ‘River People’ anthems-in-waiting.
There’s an inevitability that Madina Lake are the next big thing and, like Paramore and Panic! At The Disco before them, I’m sure the youths of Britain will make them their favourite band in no time at all. For me, well, it’s a decent record, full of shiny hooks and nifty melodies, but it’s all been done before. And been done better.