It's the year 2017 and even though the world as we know it seems to be cartwheeling backwards like some psychotic, politically charged delinquent, with society falling apart and issues on race, sexuality and gender STILL being a problem for some, it's good to know the world of rock music is still very much a haven...(if you can excuse the recent comments of certain Kerrang! editorial staff)...and one of the things frowned upon is the term "female-fronted"...to point out the obvious, when you specifically feel the need to say a bands vocalist is female, as if that may automatically deem the band inferior, or that you feel the need to declare it as some kind of warning, as if to say the listener might go on some sort of fucking medieval witch hunt upon not hearing some dude doing the singing, then you're a bit of a bastard...the ladies can rock just as hard as the dudes. With the likes of Lynn Gunn of PVRIS and Laura Jane Grace of AGAINST ME! openly and rightfully celebrating their sexuality and/or gender, rock 'n' roll has never been so accessible and encouraging for ladies of any and all backgrounds. Part of the ever growing, ever flourishing scene of great bands lead by female members is HALFLIVES...hailing from Modena, Italy, they've just released their debut album "Empty Rooms" after a staggering amount of support through pledge campaign...let's see what the hype is about...
We open up with "Lone Wolf" and immediately we can see the influence of PVRIS on the five-piece...the electronic tones coupled with the up-beat alternative rock, layered well over Linda Battilani's passionate vocals, it speaks of integrity and independence...it's got some brilliantly catchy pop-hooks and this is a superb intro. The party doesn't stop there either, with "Mayday" providing another infectious track with elements of YOU ME AT SIX at it's core, it's got pop-rock anthem written all over it and quite frankly Josh Francheschi wishes the latest YMAS album has something this enjoyable anywhere near it. Sort of, sharing title-track duty to some degree; "Half Alive" and "Empty Room" are both fine examples of more melodic, catchy alternative pop-rock giving the listener plenty to dance along with...the former will easily appeal to fans of AGAINST THE CURRENT.
The band aren't always full throttle however, with tracks such as "Echo" and the closing number "Collide" having characteristics of all the aforementioned artists but with also a slight touch of ANAVAE for a more a subdued listen; not breaking away too far from their own sound but diversifying just enough to add a different dynamic to the album, finding the right balance between highs and lows, light and dark etc...it shows a touch more depth in their song writing qualities that can appeal to even more listeners which would go towards explaining their pledge campaign success, they have a broad market and to be perfectly honest, that's fantastic; the more bridges you can gap the more likely you are to find success in today's cut-throat industry. At eight tracks in length, this debut is essentially a lengthy EP but not quite confident enough to be a fully committed album, so we'll settle for a mini-album here, but while in limbo in regards to what it falls under, we can't overlook the fact it's an incredible debut...Halflives by name but certainly not by nature, they're really going for this and it shows in the sheer enjoyment of this record from start to finish...the rooms aren't empty at all, they are full of tunes. [7]
We open up with "Lone Wolf" and immediately we can see the influence of PVRIS on the five-piece...the electronic tones coupled with the up-beat alternative rock, layered well over Linda Battilani's passionate vocals, it speaks of integrity and independence...it's got some brilliantly catchy pop-hooks and this is a superb intro. The party doesn't stop there either, with "Mayday" providing another infectious track with elements of YOU ME AT SIX at it's core, it's got pop-rock anthem written all over it and quite frankly Josh Francheschi wishes the latest YMAS album has something this enjoyable anywhere near it. Sort of, sharing title-track duty to some degree; "Half Alive" and "Empty Room" are both fine examples of more melodic, catchy alternative pop-rock giving the listener plenty to dance along with...the former will easily appeal to fans of AGAINST THE CURRENT.
The band aren't always full throttle however, with tracks such as "Echo" and the closing number "Collide" having characteristics of all the aforementioned artists but with also a slight touch of ANAVAE for a more a subdued listen; not breaking away too far from their own sound but diversifying just enough to add a different dynamic to the album, finding the right balance between highs and lows, light and dark etc...it shows a touch more depth in their song writing qualities that can appeal to even more listeners which would go towards explaining their pledge campaign success, they have a broad market and to be perfectly honest, that's fantastic; the more bridges you can gap the more likely you are to find success in today's cut-throat industry. At eight tracks in length, this debut is essentially a lengthy EP but not quite confident enough to be a fully committed album, so we'll settle for a mini-album here, but while in limbo in regards to what it falls under, we can't overlook the fact it's an incredible debut...Halflives by name but certainly not by nature, they're really going for this and it shows in the sheer enjoyment of this record from start to finish...the rooms aren't empty at all, they are full of tunes. [7]
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