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Thy Catafalque
Stengade, Copenhagen, DEN - 6/4
Album Reviews
Can't Swim
Someone Who Isn't Me EP
Written by: PP on 23/01/2021 16:14:38
What happened here? The pop punkers in Can't Swim seem to have jumped ship and gone in a radically different direction on their new EP "Someone Who Isn't Me". The press release already suggests as much: "the band found distinct sounds and elements that set the intention of the EP right away". You don't say? I mean if previous comparison points were bands like Captain, We're Sinking and Apologies, I Have None, the five songs on this EP have virtually nothing in common with either of those bands nor their brethren.
"Floor 71" is a good example. It's basically a track that borrows from dancehall and pop and throws in a few dreamy emo/post-hardcore moments as mere nuances in the background. And what about the title track "Someone Who Isn't Me"? Here, we're deep in the pop/r&b realm while also sourcing from Balance And Composure-style dreamy emo/indie/alternative in the process. Everything sounds so... grand and produced. They have beats, they have... emo rap, for the lack of a better expression? All in all, it's arguably one of the most drastic adjustments in soundscape and expression in recent memory from a band that had started growing quite a fan base.
Not all change is bad though, but in this case, they can probably kiss goodbye for a large proportion of their fan base. That doesn't mean these songs are bad, per se. They're fairly catchy and certainly very daring in terms of sonic experimentation. I'm not sure I've heard emo delivered quite in this fashion before, so there's that. Plus despite my usual distaste for all things massively produced and theatrical, I gotta say that these songs have radio-wave potential, many of them. Go in with an open mind and you might enjoy it. But if like me, styles outside of rock music aren't for you, there's not much here to look forward to.
Download: Floor 71, Someone Who Isn't You
For the fans of: Owl City, The Postal Service, Eden
Listen: Facebook
Release date 04.12.2020
Pure Noise Records