BETA
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I've heard 'Twelve' before listening to this album in full, it's a really addicting and danceable PPR track. I was curious to hear more, and after a full listen, there's no doubt their sound is addicting. It's explosive, noisy, danceable, energetic, and somber. The calmer moments on the album suddenly explode with energy, and vice versa. They're combining Bloc Party-esque guitars, groovy dance-punk drum rhythms, and an attitude tutored by At The Drive-In. It's executed wonderfully, it really does sound like a fusion between those two bands.
'Thirteen' is an excellent example of the explosiveness, and it perfect sets the pace for the rest of the album. 'Fifteen Pt 1/2" are the noiser parts of the album, but they aren't that remarkable compared to the danceable and energetic tracks on this album, such as the aforementioned 'Twelve', or 'Nine'. 'Nineteen' is the soberest track on the record, as well as the most interesting. There's this weird white noise ambience in the background lead by a shoegazey guitar, repetitive synth line and occasionally glitched drumbeat, it's just a weird track.
The only issues that I have with this album is that some tracks feel like they drag for eons, 'Eleven' is unnecessarily long, and a weak closer in general. 'Sixteen' is a great track, but it doesn't fly as fast as something like 'Twelve', or 'Eighteen'. The vocals can get grating after a while as well, it's nearly impossible to tell what Tom is trying to tell us in these songs without pulling up the lyric sheet. Lyrically, they aren't necessarily weak; I think they try to fit too many words into their songs. The mixing is also pretty meh here, it's tolerable, and I find it funny how kinda works with the band's sound.
Overall, it's a really solid record with many redeemable qualities from the record, even if the B side isn't all that strong. Surprisingly, they received a good amount of attention from critics upon release, which was likely lead by the creation of their own label, 'Dance To The Radio', and who knows what would've happened to these guys if they signed to a different label.
