Having racked up millions of YouTube views, played arenas with All Time Low and landed on the cover of several magazines, Against The Current have all the makings of the next “big thing”. As a small-to-medium sized music site, it’s easy to be misled by the influence of the big guns. However with their debut album ‘In Our Bones’, it’s safe to say we won’t be following suit of others, as it’s a record that is so overtly pop, you’re left questioning why Against The Current have been firmly placed dead centre in the rock universe.
It’s clear that they know their market as ‘In Our Bones’ is brimming with summery, sickly produced pop-rock. From the opening “ooh ooh”s of ‘Running With The Wild Things’ to the atmospheric and intimate concluding ‘Demons’, the three-piece go through a range of well-polished emotions.
Glossed over with “made for radio” shine, songs such as ‘Forget Me Now’ and the Little Mix-esque ‘Runaway’ emphasise ATC’s pop sensibilities. Elsewhere ‘One More Weekend’ carries itself with a bold, infectious hook with playful instrumentation, with the aforementioned ‘Running With The Wild Things’ serving as an early highlight.
Title track ‘In Our Bones’ softens proceedings with plucky guitars and Chrissy Constanza’s effortless vocals. Whilst ‘Brighter’ is the album’s power ballad with its soothing strings, delicate piano and impassioned chorus.
Admittedly vocalist Constanza does hold her own throughout, to a point where guitarist Daniel Gow and drummer Will Ferri are forgotten about, but maybe that’s the aim. Nevertheless, Constanza has to be applauded for her confident voice proving to be sultry and innocent throughout.
Without a doubt Against The Current are a good pop band that border on the edge of the pop-rock spectrum. There’s little sign of them breaking beyond their comfort zone; ‘Blood Like Gasoline’ hints at a more intense tone with an underlying punch and rushing tempo. Nevertheless, ‘In Our Bones’ is a snugly produced collection that the band’s growing fan base will eat up. However for the rest of us, what Against The Current do offer quickly becomes nauseating.
2/5
‘In Our Bones’ by Against The Current is released on May 20th on Fueled By Ramen.
Against The Current links: Website|Facebook|Twitter|YouTube
Words by Sêan Reid (@SeanReid86)
