This, the debut full-length album from THE AMERICAN SCENE, approaches “the breakup record from a new angle”, or so Pure Noise Records say. Title track ‘By Way of Introduction’ kicks the record off nicely as a short intro track, and building to the poppy ‘Did You Hear About Your Friends in California’, it’s so far so good.
The rest of the record follows suit pretty much throughout the whole run time, but rather than actually approaching a breakup record from a new angle, The American Scene have followed every other band that have written a breakup record – it isn’t necessarily a bad record, it’s just not anything new or special.
With that said, ‘By Way of Introduction’ is a well made, catchy little record that doesn’t really disappoint and slots in nicely within the indie/pop-punk scene. With no real stand out tracks, it’s probably best that you listen to the record as a whole entity, and this is where its strength lies. The flow from each track isn’t forced, and you start to see the band’s concept of dealing with all aspects of a breakup forming, albeit not fully.
A good record that’s worth a listen, just don’t expect to be blown away. Hopefully The American Scene will be back with a stronger effort because they definitely have the ability to do so.
HENRY McCAUGHTRIE