Upcoming pop-rockers Autumn Ruin are another promising act trying to fight their way up the music ladder, and if debut EP ‘We Make Our Own Damn Luck’ is anything to go by, then they are certainly in with a shout.

The Manchester five-piece make no secret of their commercial aspirations and follow firmly in the footsteps of the likes of You Me at Six. In fact, it sounds like they swallowed the 21st century pop-rock playbook as they slickly pull pretty much every trick there is out of the hat, from atmospheric intros and guitars fused with electronic to ”whoa-ohs” and a’capella sections.

‘We Make Our Own Damn Luck’ kicks things off with a big crispy riff, plenty of electronic elements and a massive hook, before the lightweight ‘OneTwoThree’ pilfers every pop cliché in the book. It’s all pretty enjoyable though, just not exactly groundbreaking, but if airplay and single downloads are the objective, then they’re ticking all the boxes.

‘Rewrite’ starts out in tender ballad territory, before morphing into a crowd pleasing deluge of hooks and ‘whoa-oh-ohs’, while ‘Forward’ is a more straight ahead pop rocker, which falls a little flat, despite showcasing front man Al Carrington’s vocal talents. For me, it’s closing track ‘No One Does We (Like We Do)’ that hints at their true potential; it’s got a bit of groove and is a well arranged slice of quality pop rock, it’s easy to imagine an adoring crowd singing along with arms in the air; great finale.

So, although they won’t win any prizes for originality, there’s plenty to like about Autumn Ruin and if things go their way, we could be hearing a lot more about them.

3.5/5

‘We Make Our Own Damn Luck’ EP by Autumn Ruin is released on September 2nd on Square State Records.

Autumn Ruin links: Website|Facebook|Twitter

Words by Edward Layland (@EdwardLayland)