Adalie

Don't Give In EP

Written by: PP on 05/01/2011 19:38:50

Hey all, I've been away for a little over a week due to New Years rampage and a crushing influenza that has plagued me for much of the first week in 2011. To start things off, I'll introduce you to a small, Philadelphia-based emo/post-hardcore act known as Adalie, who have existed just over three years now as a unit. During that time, they've released two EPs, the second of which, "Don't Give In", is under review consideration here. Fans of mid 2000s emo/post-hardcore should have their eyes peeled out, because it certainly isn't difficult to deduct the influences of Adalie when listening to their sophomore effort.

Basically, think Armor For Sleep meets A Thorn For Every Heart's older material, while inserting nuances from the instrumental dynamics of Thursday. Out of that combo, the Armor For Sleep reference strikes out strongest, given how vocalist Derrek Siemieniuk's high-pitched emo croon follows similar soaring melodies as Ben Jorgensen song in song out. Damn, I miss that band. He owns just enough teenage-angst in his strained clean delivery to distinguish himself from the trend in the last two years, where every vocalist in the genre is attempting to clone Anthony Green on one level or another. It's a refreshing change for this scribe at least to hear someone willing to go back a little longer towards the roots of modern post-hardcore/emocore, instead of just following the trend, and it's this quality that gives "Don't Give In" EP its positive overall vibe.

Occasionally, backing screams are introduced in just the right places, but they are used sparingly enough to avoid placing Adalie straight into the generic basket. Guitars mostly follow a non-flashy format, ignoring high-pitch scaling in favour of more dynamic, more flowing layers of sound. This is good, and another plus note on my scale for rating this EP.

However, the songwriting needs a little more fine-tuning before Adalie will be fit for a fight in the big leagues. The title track is solid, as is "Trojan Horse", but they lack the wow-effect of Armor For Sleep's material. Moreover, the six tracks sound very much alike. That's okay in principle, but the choruses need to pack a harder punch to avoid blending together slightly, as is the case here. As a whole, though, "Don't Give In" EP is a pretty good retrospective look at the emo/post-hardcore genre, certainly recommended for anyone who wondered how Armor For Sleep circa "Smile For Them" would've sounded like with a few screams solidifying the sound.

Download: Don't Give In
For the fans of: Armor For Sleep, A Thorn For Every Heart, early Senses Fail
Listen: Myspace

Release date October 2010
Self-Released

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