This Century

Biography Of Heartbreak

Written by: PP on 16/10/2013 19:39:09

This Century from Phoenix, Arizona make it absolutely clear on their sophomore album "Biography Of Heartbreak" that they long for the radio waves, nothing more, nothing less. It is an album so unashamedly big league pop rock that it's difficult to criticize it for attempting to be something it is not, but at the same time it leaves the field wide open for justified criticism about whether this band's primarily goal is to make money (like Bieber, One Direction etc) rather than to write music with heart and soul. Though not as brazenly manufactured as said artists brands, they come pretty close to the former yet find themselves hanging by a thread somewhere halfway between throughout the album.

All cynicism set aside, though, and you'll find an entirely decent and enjoyable album with huge soundscapes, big electro riffs, simplistic beats that replace any need for a live drummer. The expression falls squarely within danceable pop/rock, and is upbeat in its nature given its electro beats, thus not far from contemporaries like Hawk Nelson or Artist Vs Poet. The difference between bands like The Summer Set and for example The Maine from This Century is that here you won't find an ounce of pop punk reference driving the sound. This is straight up pop rock where any edge or character have been produced and polished away with little regard to the band sounding completely artificial. Case in point must be the pop ballad "Footsteps", which is very bland and boring, not to mention cheesy and identical to any other pop artist you'll hear in the safer realms of commercial radio.

But catchy they are, that I have to admit. "Bleach Blonde" and "Love Killer" among others are easily digestible pop with catchy choruses and beats, though here, too, fans or more nuanced music should find themselves rolling their eyes over how devoid of any real character this music is in a music fan's ears. Sure, the casual music fans will lap this up because the songs aren't bad, per se, they just leave no long-lasting impression thanks to non-existent depth.

6

Download: Bleach Blonde, Love Killer,
For the fans of: Hawk Nelson, The Maine, Artist Vs Poet, The Summer Set, This Providence
Listen: Facebook

Release date 14.05.2013
Eighty One Twenty Three / Rude Records

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