The first full length album from STAND DOWN is a mish-mash of ideas. This Brighton based trio have tried to develop a big sound on this record – an expansive, almost epic feel. The drums pound, the guitars feedback and the bass thunders while they build to a crescendo. In places, it works quite well and you can hear the Biffy Clyro and Appleseed Cast influences but for all their shoe-gaze aspirations, this really just sounds like a punk rock band trying to be an indie band. The vocals are raw and nasally, slipping constantly in and out of tune, and the bass-lines, while clever, often veer off into ska territory, such as on ‘What If He’s Not Dead?’. ‘Manhole Disaster’ is a pure ska song which tails off into what sounds like a Nirvana cover. It just doesn’t seem right.
Stand Down are obviously a talented bunch but there’s too much going on on this record for it to work. If you like the sound of a post-rock emo grunge ska-punk band, then check this out, but for everyone else, there’s not much reason to sit up and pay attention to Stand Down.
MICHAEL WILSON