When you initially get into the whole business of writing reviews, (music in this case) you naturally start off by picking anything you want to write about. You find a style, you stick to it, hone your craft and over time you find yourself with maybe a few regular readers. After that, word might spread, and you may get unsigned bands seeking you out to promote a new demo or single...word spreads...after that you may find yourself receiving emails from PR companies looking to promote artists. This is where it gets good. Why? EPK's...and RAGE PR really caught my eye with this one; let me introduce you to SUMMER CITY. The York based three-piece (consisting of vocalist/guitarist Benji Adams, bassist Kit Parker and drummer Ben Reynard) have been presented as "MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE meets KNIFE PARTY", with their perfect blend of pop-rock and electronics...their new EP "Reprobates" has just dropped...what have these rascals created? Let's find out...
The EP kicks off with "Signals" and initially your first reaction is "well...this is wrong"...MCR meets KP? More like DON BROCO with a sprinkling of "Liberation..." era LOSTPROPHETS. Don't get me wrong it's a catchy track, the synths are sleek, the hooks and melody bring nothing but smiles, this is great pop-rock, but it's also a disappointment for those expecting something with a little more bite...
Second track "I'm A Wreck" packs a little more punch and here it makes a little more sense purely on an electronic level. The casual pop elements are too rich as a whole though and in ways you could suggest they are more like a tweaked version of former Welsh rockers MY FAVOURITE RUNNER UP, proven further by the happy-go-lucky "There's Only Chemistry Here" and the quaint, almost miss-titled "Burn It Down"...the latter has some brief breakdowns but in the grand scheme of things it's just too...nice.
Finishing up then, "Sound Of The Crowd" is the final nail in the coffin. As blissfully sweet this closing acoustic number is, it's simply poles apart from the level of expectation built up for this EP; self-inflicted or not. Where is the angst? Where are the pummeling beats? Granted there is emotion within these tracks, a level of romanticism and honesty but at the end of the day it's all far too tame. You can hear the suffering in Gerard Way's voice at his indulgent, emo best, Knife Party / PENDULUM assault you through your speakers with intense dub-step / drum & bass...but, this EP lacks all of the above. It's nice, happy pop-rock, nothing more...and honestly, they should consider rethinking the way they put themselves across, or the sound of the crowd will be more "Oh?" than "Ooooooh!!!!" [6]
The EP kicks off with "Signals" and initially your first reaction is "well...this is wrong"...MCR meets KP? More like DON BROCO with a sprinkling of "Liberation..." era LOSTPROPHETS. Don't get me wrong it's a catchy track, the synths are sleek, the hooks and melody bring nothing but smiles, this is great pop-rock, but it's also a disappointment for those expecting something with a little more bite...
Second track "I'm A Wreck" packs a little more punch and here it makes a little more sense purely on an electronic level. The casual pop elements are too rich as a whole though and in ways you could suggest they are more like a tweaked version of former Welsh rockers MY FAVOURITE RUNNER UP, proven further by the happy-go-lucky "There's Only Chemistry Here" and the quaint, almost miss-titled "Burn It Down"...the latter has some brief breakdowns but in the grand scheme of things it's just too...nice.
Finishing up then, "Sound Of The Crowd" is the final nail in the coffin. As blissfully sweet this closing acoustic number is, it's simply poles apart from the level of expectation built up for this EP; self-inflicted or not. Where is the angst? Where are the pummeling beats? Granted there is emotion within these tracks, a level of romanticism and honesty but at the end of the day it's all far too tame. You can hear the suffering in Gerard Way's voice at his indulgent, emo best, Knife Party / PENDULUM assault you through your speakers with intense dub-step / drum & bass...but, this EP lacks all of the above. It's nice, happy pop-rock, nothing more...and honestly, they should consider rethinking the way they put themselves across, or the sound of the crowd will be more "Oh?" than "Ooooooh!!!!" [6]
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