All my shoes"All My Potential" is an apt title for Portland-based pop-punk band In Bloom's debut EP. The 6-song collection runs a total of 16 minutes and presents a well-rounded picture of the group's sound. It's certainly an enticing, if brief, listen - the songs are all energetic, uptempo rockers with well-thought-out lyrics and arrangements.
However, "All My Potential" feels more like a hint of things to come than a self-contained, finished work. The dynamic arc that usually gives albums their shape is noticeably missing, replaced with a balls-to-the-wall approach that finds In Bloom giving 110% on every track. A single acoustic song would have gone a long way in giving the EP more of album feel, but instead we have to settle for a couple of tacked-on acoustic outros.
Quick! Before someone notices!
Front and center is vocalist/guitarist Tim Reed's voice, which fits right in with the band's pop-punk sound. Overdubbed harmonies fill out the songs nicely, though in some places additional guitar counterlines could have accomplished the same purpose.
The best track on the album is "Wear & Tear", which, through intelligent use of dynamics, builds to an inevitable-seeming climax that satisfyingly sums up the song. This is in contrast to tracks like "You Sew Me Up", which, while well-written, never quite hit the same sort of climax.
"Don't Let Me Go" is something of the oddball track on the EP, with unusual chord changes and some strange structural choices. It's a positive sign that In Bloom is willing to experiment with such things so early in their career. I hope that their next effort takes inspiration from this track as well as the more straightforward ones.
All in all, In Bloom's first effort is a positive, upbeat collection of well-written songs. It's certainly worth checking out, but I'm even more excited for what's coming next.
However, "All My Potential" feels more like a hint of things to come than a self-contained, finished work. The dynamic arc that usually gives albums their shape is noticeably missing, replaced with a balls-to-the-wall approach that finds In Bloom giving 110% on every track. A single acoustic song would have gone a long way in giving the EP more of album feel, but instead we have to settle for a couple of tacked-on acoustic outros.
Quick! Before someone notices!Front and center is vocalist/guitarist Tim Reed's voice, which fits right in with the band's pop-punk sound. Overdubbed harmonies fill out the songs nicely, though in some places additional guitar counterlines could have accomplished the same purpose.
The best track on the album is "Wear & Tear", which, through intelligent use of dynamics, builds to an inevitable-seeming climax that satisfyingly sums up the song. This is in contrast to tracks like "You Sew Me Up", which, while well-written, never quite hit the same sort of climax.
"Don't Let Me Go" is something of the oddball track on the EP, with unusual chord changes and some strange structural choices. It's a positive sign that In Bloom is willing to experiment with such things so early in their career. I hope that their next effort takes inspiration from this track as well as the more straightforward ones.
All in all, In Bloom's first effort is a positive, upbeat collection of well-written songs. It's certainly worth checking out, but I'm even more excited for what's coming next.
No comments:
Post a Comment