Robyn Writes

Immerse – s/t [EP]

It’s rare to hear such accomplishment on a debut EP. Most bands are usually finding their voice, playing songs that have potential but haven’t quite hit the mark in terms of style and structure. However, Leicester groove-metal outfit Immerse have an innate talent that’s hard to match and have created what can only be described as a titan.

Immediately, you’re struck with some crushing riffs and unbelievable tapping in ‘Obelisk’. Not only that, but the vocals are arresting. It’s great to see music in this genre without the generic cookie monster growls, and instead exploring some interesting ranges and tones. Immerse utilise clean vocals to their advantage well – not only in ‘Obelisk’, but throughout the release and particularly in ‘Mitigate’, where those clean vocals add a huge layer of emotion that may otherwise be lacking from the track. Immerse certainly have a keen sense of melody and rhythm, as is evidence from the extremely funky bass that crops up again and again. In ‘Gerun’, a brutal aural assault, the vocals get a bit desperate, the instrumentals get heavier and the bass is just sublime, especially in the more chilled groove section towards the end of the track.

This is certainly not a modest EP, not in the slightest. Nor should it be. Immerse don’t just know how to throw down, but how to enchant. ‘Plenitude’ is a beautiful piano interlude and sounds like it could have been ripped straight from a Final Fantasy game. ‘Ray(e)’ is an acoustic affair that blends prog sequences with ambient atmosphere. Thanks to these two interludes, every other track just feels massive.

Unfortunately, there are a couple of moments that clunk. The lead in on ‘Fallacy’ is too abrupt, too harsh after ‘Plenitude’s softness, and although it’s an excellent track in its own right, any subtleties that it has (like those amazing gallops) just get overlooked due to the jarring positioning. This is rectified somewhat when ‘Ray(e)’ transitions into ‘Mitigate’, but it’s too little, too late. Nevertheless, this is all forgotten by the time that ‘ZeroShift’ rolls around. An absolute banger of a final track, its fatalistic and brutal nature ends the EP on an unsettling and captivating note.

This is possibly the best introduction Immerse could offer to the world. If they can keep up the momentum, then they will be able to carve out a reputation as one of the most exciting and innovative metal bands the UK has to offer at the moment.

4 out of 5 high fives!

Crash! Radio – For You, From The Heart [EP]

When you think of Canada, you don’t necessarily think of pop-punk. That’s generally the product of sunnier climes, like California or Florida. Crash! Radio, hailing from Burlington, Ontario, are about to change all of that, and may well become one of your favourite bands with an exclamation mark in the name in the process.

For You, From The Heart is a short and sweet burst of summer, comprised of three glorious tracks. Opener, ‘Be With You’, is a heartfelt, melody driven love song with one of the catchiest choruses of the year. The blend of acoustic and electric guitar works perfectly here, complimenting Michelle Calaveri’s beautiful vocals so well. ‘Walk Away’ takes on a slightly darker tone than the previous track, following the path of the broken hearted, but doesn’t fail to impress. It still has Crash! Radio’s particularly upbeat signature sound, and a totally awesome guitar solo to boot. Ben Lee’s drums are of particular note here, giving the track a certain power that makes it the best of the record, even if the piano at the beginning does just completely disappear out of nowhere. Closer ‘Happy Hellos Are Sorry Goodbyes’ is highly reminiscent of Good Charlotte’s early work, with just the right sense of humour and killer riffs to boot, and winds down the EP just right with some great bass hooks at the end.

If you want female fronted pop-punk done right, get yourself onto Crash! Radio. This EP is available from just $1 on their Bandcamp, and you’d be sorry to miss out on such a wonderful little record. We at TwoBeatsOff can’t wait for a full length!

4.5 out of 5 high fives

Streetside Vinyl – If There’s A Hope

Streetside Vinyl hail from Bakersfield, California, and it’s impossible to deny the influence of California’s sweeping musical heritage in their debut album. Even at just seven tracks long, If There’s A Hope is a daring and individual effort, jam-packed with laid back pop rhythms and storming rock anthems.

While the album begins with a brilliant classic rock style riff in ‘I Have My Reasons’, it takes it a short while to really get going. The vocals falter slightly in that opening track and it takes the chorus a little bit to build up into a fantastically sarcastic ‘la la la la’, but as the track goes on, it bolsters in confidence and brings forth a great outro. ‘Promises and Rings’ is a nice, chilled out affair and very reminiscent of that early 2000s Decaydance scene, but the real gem in Streetside Vinyl’s crown is ‘Enough With The Tricks’. With a bit of anger behind the vocals, the track really hits its stride. The guitar work is absolutely incredible, the bass is entrancing and there’s no doubt that Streetside Vinyl is filled with very talented musicians. Building to an outstanding crescendo, this is the track that will cement Streetside Vinyl’s reputation as keen and intelligent songwriters.

It’s not to say that it’s all downhill from there either; absolutely far from it. The band experiment a little more with their sound in ‘Still Searching’, adding some sweet piano riffs throughout and ‘His Name Is Chaos’ utilises a dual-vocal approach for maximum intensity. The record is produced to a very high standard, and a lot of the tracks lead into each other perfectly, leading to a very fluid and well constructed sound. As well as high-octane rock hits, Streetside Vinyl aren’t too shabby at ballads either. ‘Castles and Crossroads’ is a beautiful slow burner of a track, and although the lyrics are a little bit cheesy, they’re quick to sink into your cortex, leaving you singing along for days. The album ends on ‘Escape’, an optimistic ode to the road. The journey certainly begins here – almost all of the tracks on If There’s A Hope have that huge arena potential, perfect for a summer festival, and it’s only a matter of time before Streetside Vinyl hit it huge.

4 out of 5 high fives!

Best Friends, Ex-Friends To The End – why the Fall Out Boy reunion matters

Pop punk has already had its commercial golden age. It came in the mid 2000s, when I was going through high school. Fall Out Boy were the kings of that era, and we made sure to shout it from the rooftops. I have followed this band around on tour to the point where I probably knew the set list better than they did. Between my sister and I, we own every single album, single, B-side. My email address is a misheard Fall Out Boy lyric (which in this one case, actually turned out to be better than the original). I have plenty of Clandestine clothing. Everything points at me being one of Fall Out Boy’s number one fans, but I’m not. At least, I haven’t been for years. When high school ended, and Fall Out Boy released Folie a Deux, it was time to move on to different things.

Now I am twenty-two years old. Four years have passed since the last Fall Out Boy album and I’ve graduated from one degree and moved on to another. Pete, Patrick, Andy and Joe all went their separate ways for a while. This website, initially little more than a blog, grew up into something a little bit bigger. We can finally call ourselves a ‘zine’. I went and saw other bands on other labels. I read Patrick’s essay on Alternative Press, about how he wanted a break from music because of all the hassle and stress it was bringing. I watched from the sidelines as more and more of the Decaydance bands split. I had boyfriends who didn’t know who the fuck Fall Out Boy were, nor cared. Pete Wentz maintained his penchant for swearing lots on stage whenever he came to the UK with his god-awful side project. Other bands, like Blink-182 came out of hiatus. Rumours would fly every six months or so about a Fall Out Boy reunion, but none ever came to fruition. Patrick’s solo album was outstanding as far as I could see, but the critics didn’t rate it. Andy and Joe’s time in The Damned Things was pretty awesome. Time just… went by.

Occasionally, Fall Out Boy would come up on my shuffle, and I would smile. They were a reminder of my teen years, more so than any other band. I rarely decided to listen to an album though, too busy with the tidal wave of promos that threatened to decimate my inbox. It’s not that I didn’t care. I’ve always cared. I’d just burnt myself out on them. Like they needed a hiatus, I needed a break.

But I didn’t realise how much I needed a Fall Out Boy reunion until it happened. There’d been a few false starts, but as soon as the proper announcement and the video exploded all over my Twitter feed, I felt my heart race. I listened to the song. I listened to all the songs, and I found that I remembered every single word. I texted people. None of them were that bothered, but I was. I belted out the lyrics as I sped down the motorway. It wasn’t like I’d been transported back to my youth again at all, because let’s get one thing straight, no Fall Out Boy album has been the same as its predecessor. Pete’s lyrics have gotten more metaphoric and Patrick’s experimented more and more with different genres. It’s this change that arguably led me to become disenchanted with the band, especially thanks to Folie a Deux. I still maintain that Take This To Your Grave is the best thing they ever did, built from heartbreak and mayhem and distilled into gloriously irreverent bursts, but like Patrick said, there would be no sense in writing another TTTYG. They’re in a completely different moment of time. Save Rock And Roll is not going to be a pop-punk album, but I can’t wait to see exactly what it will be. I’m not waiting for Fall Out Boy to come and show the newcomers how it has been done, but how to do it now. The new track is audacious, laden with hooks and takes more than a few cues from the music that Patrick’s been writing in the downtime. This is not Fall Out Boy as we know it, but something new. And that’s why this reunion matters so much. I have grown up, and Fall Out Boy have too.

Just one thing – no more hardcore screams, Pete. Please.

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