Sometimes the best things in life are born out of hardship and when you're growing up, you may not have the gift of hindsight to help you through difficult or challenging periods, in this instance, before the age of just 11, PETE LYNCH (who was born in Maryland, USA) had not only upped and moved home but moved to an entirely different continent, with his parents opting to travel to Europe only to divorce shortly afterwards (that's a lot to take in for a young child)...luckily for Pete however he did have an escape; music. From the tender age of 6 Pete had picked up a guitar after hearing his first ever record, a live recording of THE WHO and it would ultimately shape his life forever. Growing up torn between different sides of the world, with a relatively unsettled childhood he had plenty to draw inspiration from, from a creative viewpoint, coupled with an appreciation for artists such as THE DOORS and LEONARD COHEN he developed over time, he honed his craft and it didn't matter if he was playing on stage or playing subways, he just wanted to play. After a couple of initial releases at the turn of the decade, Pete Lynch, now based in Colorado, is back with his brand new album "Kill The Monster"...let's check it out.
We open up with a creepy little snigger, Pete sounding quite maniacal to say the least before some MUSE-esque percussion gets the track underway...really it's up-beat power-pop with dark undertones; it's bold with elements of indie-rock and Pete's slightly sand-paper vocals give extra substance to the track, coupled with a brief but enjoyable guitar-driven bridge at the 01:45 mark, and a simple chorus that while repetitive, will still have you tapping your feet, it's a decent introduction. Early album highlight "Come Down" oozes "Playing The Angel" era DEPECHE MODE in it's cold, slow-burn delivery, gradually rising in intensity towards an incredibly passionate chorus...before gently descending towards a mellow climax, we really are off to a strong start.
"Where Are You" benefits from having producer Tim Palmer at the helm, as this soothing little number has elements of U2 at it's core sound, with the chorus again, soaring indie-rock, it's a well balanced listen, similarly to "4010"...soft and welcoming until bursting into life intermittently over it's six-minute run time and, the initial soulful qualities of "Make No Mistake" followed by more of Pete's impassioned vocals; there are a lot of positives throughout this record. There are naturally lesser tracks on offer too, "Scars" is a delicate acoustic ballad for the most part, quite morose and melancholic, so too is closing track "Home" while lead single "Till' The Rivers Run Dry", with it's ambient melodies holding together some sweet, lightly romantic poetry, the chorus having an unashamed boy-band vibe, it's very TAKE THAT...
​Given the relaxed tone for the majority of this album the title is a little misleading, despite being, for the most part at least, a pop record, you still expect a little more grit...that's not to say it's a disappointing listen however, there are very enjoyable melodies throughout and plenty of catchy cross-over moments to keep the listener interested. If this was an energy drink, it would be the can of Monster with the blue logo...zero calorie and sugar free, but enough caffeine to pull you through [6]
We open up with a creepy little snigger, Pete sounding quite maniacal to say the least before some MUSE-esque percussion gets the track underway...really it's up-beat power-pop with dark undertones; it's bold with elements of indie-rock and Pete's slightly sand-paper vocals give extra substance to the track, coupled with a brief but enjoyable guitar-driven bridge at the 01:45 mark, and a simple chorus that while repetitive, will still have you tapping your feet, it's a decent introduction. Early album highlight "Come Down" oozes "Playing The Angel" era DEPECHE MODE in it's cold, slow-burn delivery, gradually rising in intensity towards an incredibly passionate chorus...before gently descending towards a mellow climax, we really are off to a strong start.
"Where Are You" benefits from having producer Tim Palmer at the helm, as this soothing little number has elements of U2 at it's core sound, with the chorus again, soaring indie-rock, it's a well balanced listen, similarly to "4010"...soft and welcoming until bursting into life intermittently over it's six-minute run time and, the initial soulful qualities of "Make No Mistake" followed by more of Pete's impassioned vocals; there are a lot of positives throughout this record. There are naturally lesser tracks on offer too, "Scars" is a delicate acoustic ballad for the most part, quite morose and melancholic, so too is closing track "Home" while lead single "Till' The Rivers Run Dry", with it's ambient melodies holding together some sweet, lightly romantic poetry, the chorus having an unashamed boy-band vibe, it's very TAKE THAT...
​Given the relaxed tone for the majority of this album the title is a little misleading, despite being, for the most part at least, a pop record, you still expect a little more grit...that's not to say it's a disappointing listen however, there are very enjoyable melodies throughout and plenty of catchy cross-over moments to keep the listener interested. If this was an energy drink, it would be the can of Monster with the blue logo...zero calorie and sugar free, but enough caffeine to pull you through [6]
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