Midday Committee

Girls In Open C EP

Written by: TL on 09/04/2014 23:25:07

In the department of smaller bands on my "to be reviewed" list we have here Midday Committee, a four-piece of young lads from Portsmouth, UK whose newest EP "Girls In Open C" made it out into the world only two days ago and who cite Fall Out Boy, Four Year Strong and The Story So Far among their influences. Pop-punk is the genre then, and especially the first band's "Take This To Your Grave" and "From Under The Cork Tree" feel like they form the foundation for MC's instrumental inspiration, as there's a recurring similarity in tone, temperament and vocal phrasings that I've been unable to shake. Add a clear British accent and it's hard not to bring You Me At Six in as a comparison as well, especially considering that Midday Committee lean a bit more towards their radio-friendly mid-tempo, but to be fair, the singing here is a slight bit more toasty, which does only help however, to make them stand out from the typically high and piercing voices we're used to hearing in the genre.

After a short intro, the band gets things started with "I Swear To God I'm Going To Pistol Whip The Next Guy That Says Shenanigans", and it's not just the penchant for using long references as song titles they borrow from Fall Out Boy, as the verse in particular sounds like something you could sing "Sugar We're Going Down" on. The band's more pure pop-punk influences come into view on "Maybe I Should" however, with backing vocals appearing in the anthemic chorus that takes over from the up-beat verse. "Casino" is probably the catchiest of the first three tracks proper, although it's a "for better and worse" type of deal where you have to embrace somewhat forced lyricism about gambling and some questionable gang chorus emphasis of a certain f-word towards the end.

Comically, "fuck" is once again underscored via call-response almost immediately in the following "Hometowns", a song which - despite reminding me of once promising (now long defunct) UK pop-punks Fastlane - could've done with more of that call-response for instance to make it stand out. "Games Been Called" fares better then, via runaway-themed lyrical hooks and a classic but effective instrumental drop-off before the ending. Finally "Just Me And You" - which features the guest vocals of one Christina Rotondo - ends things on an acoustic note that again recalls early YMAS (see: "Always Attract") and which is again done well enough to not feel like a loss despite it sounding done before.

Interestingly, while you sense in the overall instrumental thickness and in the at times energetic drumming that Midday Committee want to also honour their heavier influences in bands like A Day To Remember and Four Year Strong, the overall sound of "Girls In Open C" casts them much more on the radio-friendly, non-dangerous side of things, yet I think that's actually only a good thing, because I think the band can both grow more and write more interesting material pursuing their Fall Out Boy and YMAS-like stylings. Their efforts on here however, stay grounded in the realm of the "promising", mainly because the band still has to define a more recognisable character of their own and write some hooks that are somehow more irresistible. After all, that's the kind of band they seem to want to be, so perhaps if they worked to define the vocals even more and got a bit more inventive in the chorus sections, any potential follow-ups from Midday Committee could start to get quite difficult to ignore.

7

Download: Casino, Games Been Called
For The Fans Of: You Me At Six, Fall Out Boy, Fastlane, Cartel
Listen: facebook.com/Middaycommittee

Release date 07.04.2014
Self-released

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