I was half-expecting ‘Relapse To Recovery’ to open up with some de-tuned riffs and a barrage of screaming, so I was nicely surprised to find a melodic emo-rock band that focus on riffs, singing and melodies. These Green Eyes are difficult to pigeonhole because while there are obvious similarities to other bands, they’re not really a carbon copy of anyone in particular. Sure there’s some Jimmy Eat World and even some Thrice in here, but the Brian McTernan production gives the band a little extra ooomph. It makes the record a fairly good listen, even if it doesn’t really break new boundaries.
There are a number of good songs here. There are also a few fillers. But it’s refreshing to hear a band let the music do the talking rather than take the lazy route out by throwing in a barrelload of screams and shouts. Lead vocalist Colin has a really melodic vocal which sounds pretty good throughout making the more aggressive tracks on the record sound good even without the vocal aggression. ‘Paramedic’ sets the tone and gets things off to a great start, ‘Two Minute Warning’ sounds a bit like Bayside, while ‘Sucker Punch’ has a slightly off-kilter sound but still works well.
I couldn’t say TGE were the best band I’ve ever heard, but I was pleasantly surprised by this record and would recommend it to anyone wanting to check out new bands.