Random fact of the day: Olivia the Band were forced to change their name from Olivia to their present moniker because Olivia Newton John owns the copyright of the name. Well fancy that. Newly signed to major label BMG, the band sound like a cross between Simple Plan and Ace Troubleshooter – pop-punk with sugar coated melodies to the max. At time it’s not too bad a mix, certainly extremely inoffensive, but the band do manage to create enough hooks to grab your attention. However, Olivia The Band are a Christian band and while I have nothing against religion influencing any band, at times they use the topic way too much – ‘Heaven’ is more a glorified hymn with its “Jesus is here” and “sing hallelujah” refrains and, for me, it’s all a bit too much.
It all starts off pretty well though. ‘Stars and Stripes’ reminds me of Unwritten Law (when they were good), with guitar riffs bouncing off the walls and the vocals super melodic. ‘Butterflies’ and ‘Along The Way’ aren’t too bad either, certainly better than average and, if you like Simple Plan-esque pop-punk then you’ll find these thre opening tracks just your thing. The first single, ‘Shut It Out’, is also a keeper, harking back to ‘Dude Ranch’-era Blink 182. But things go a bit downhill after this. the Hawaiians are a religious bunch and while I have no qualms with anybody expressing their beliefs in music (MxPx are one of my favourite bands), Olivia The Band take things to the extreme. ‘Heaven’ is far, far too sickly, and, as previously mentioned, the lyrics are far too much for me to stomach. At other times the band leave a little to the imagination when they talk about their fath, but this song almost rams it down your throat and that is a big turn off. ‘Look To The Stars’ is similar in style too, and although the vocal harmonies are pretty spectacular, the lyrical content is far too much for me to bear.
If you enjoy Christian pop-punk then Olivia The Band will be right up your street. This record is a bit of a mixed bag – it’s very ‘safe’ sounding and is probably the reason why a major label has taken the chance on them. The songs are very clean cut, although when the band do bust out a riff or speed up the drums, as they do in the earlier tracks, they sound like a very good band. However, it is a case of some killer, some filler and it will probably mean that Olivia The Band don’t make as big an impact as they probably could. If you enjoyed recent records by Hawk Nelson and Relient K then this is an album worth checking out.
www.oliviatheband.com
BMG
Paul