Maybe it’s just me and the latest slew of bands I’ve slated aren’t that bad. Or it could just be that the sound eminating from my speakers is as bad as I think it is. I can’t take too many positives from this EP, I really can’t. And believe me, I’ve tried hard looking for them. It’s just that Speakyourheart try too hard to be American – from the overly polished production to the way in which the vocals are straight out of SoCal, via Hailsham, UK, natch. Maybe I’m being too harsh on the fact this band are absolute generic pish without an ounce of originality?
The thing is, there are lots of bands around that sound like carbon copies of others, but they have good enough songs to pull it off. Saves the Day and Lifetime, for instance. Hit The Lights and New Found Glory. Sadly SYH just don’t have any redeeming features at all. The vocalist tries far too hard during ‘These Words Were Simple’ and it comes across like an absolute mess. At 2mins 45secs he goes for a note has no right to hit – and fails miserably. And while it’s admirable he’s trying to flex his vocal muscles, it’s like arm wrestling with an Olympic champion – if you don’t have the talent, you ain’t gonna win.
Ultimately this just comes off second best. The vocals are Rufio-esque in tone but second best in delivery and there are so many borrowed ideas it’s the aural equivalent of a second hand shop. If I did indeed speak from my heart, I’d have to say this was very, very disappointing indeed.