Thieves

Colorchange EP

Written by: PP on 13/12/2014 00:57:22

Just the other day I was talking about Major League exchanging lightning speed, angsty pop punk out with atmospheric post-hardcore in the vein of Balance & Composure on their latest album "There's Nothing Wrong With Me". Here we have Thieves from Texas doing more or less the same, steering away from the piercingly technical pop punk of their previous EP in a radical manner. "Colorchange", their sophomore EP, namely shifts them squarely into the same territory as Balance & Composure, Basement, and Have Mercy (among many, many other bands), towards a soundscape dominated by atmospherics and mood, depth-laden instrumentation and eerily beautiful, echoing songwriting as opposed to the catchy hooks you'll encounter on a regular pop punk album.

It's drastic change from the crazily energetic, technically proficient songs like "Quarter Life Crisis" where blinding guitar leads and a far brighter soundscape drew comparisons to Caleb Lionheart, With The Punches, and Such Gold among others. Listening to the title track "Colorchange" you'd literally have no idea it is the same band as the one that wrote "Achiever" two years ago. Today, the atmospheric post-hardcore format gives much more room for their excellent vocalist to deliver his soothing, indie-flavored but alternative rock styled vocals in a much more suitable manner, and the added ambiance in general does the band's expression wonders in terms of depth and intellect. At the same time, speed has not been sacrificed, and in fact most of "Colorchange" sounds like a turbocharged version of Balance & Composure. Occasionally, the band do show glimpses of their own sound such as on "Compass", which draws Junior Battles influence in a similar manner as on debut EP, but even here, it's clear that the band have taken a significant step forward in terms of songwriting that stretches beyond just writing catchy choruses and bouncy rhythms.

Instead, the focus now is on writing quality songs that will echo in your mind for weeks and months to come, and that's something they have been very successful with throughout the record. Moreover, they've entered a crowded genre with a sound that's noticeably different from their peers thanks to its inherent speed and high-octane approach. That alone makes Thieves worth listening. And perhaps "Colorchange" isn't as explosively spectacular as "Achiever" was, thus drawing a higher grade from the undersigned initially, but it's arguably a better EP from a songwriting perspective. Now let's see full-length next.

8

Download: Colorchange, Compass
For the fans of: Balance & Composure, Major League, Junior Battles, Basement, Light Years, Turnover, Have Mercy
Listen: Facebook

Release date 03.06.2014
Self-Released

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