People who know me know that I’m a sucker for a chorus. Bands don’t need to be original – it helps, naturally – but if you can get inside my head and make me want to singalong, you’re going to win me over very, very quickly. The Auteur had me hooked within about 30 seconds of the first song. And while their pop-rock sound – imagine The Riverclub crossed with Midtown – isn’t the most original, it is catchy and instantly likeable. Vocally they’re spot on, they’re energetic and, most of all, they have melodies and harmonies in abundance.
‘Welcome Back’ has a huge vocal hook which reminded me a lot of TRC, without the synth. The intro to ‘Model Home’ also reminded me of The Early November. And if you think those two tracks are good, they’re nothing on ‘Trampoline’ which will actually make you want to jump up and down with glee. While these guys very clearly wear their influences on their sleeves, they sound so damn good I’ve had this four track EP on repeat for about the last 3 hours. If they’re serious about being a band there’s plenty of scope for The Auteur to really kick up a storm in 2008.