It seems unfair to judge Daytrader before hearing them. You could be forgiven for expecting a lot from the band seeing as on paper, they have a heck of a lot of experience between them, seeing as they’ve all been in bands before and have travelled the roads and all that other band malarky in between.

That said, EP ‘Last Days Of Rome’ didn’t help the case. The EP was so quite brilliant and certainly rose expectations as to what ‘Twelve Years’ would bring. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite bring what I expect. Like when the postman brings you a parcel and you hope it’s something, but it’s not as good as the thing you were hoping for.

Tracks like ‘Struggle With Me’ and ‘Silver Graves’ do deliver a slice of what the EP had dished up for us, but otherwise ‘Twelve Years’ feels slightly lacking. There’s a mix of the upbeat (that being the previously mentioned) and some mid tempo tracks that still sizzle with this hard hitting feel, but these are washed down inbetween with perhaps a bit too many slower songs. The songs aren’t the best of slow songs and they take away that taste of a more upbeat album that the EP did seem to suggest.

Still, I do like this album! Yeah, I said it. I think it’s a grower and it’s still got a bit to grow on me, but it’s certianly not the best album in the world. There’s potential here, and boy do we know it on paper, but still; we shouldn’t judge them so early on. Despite their previous efforts in other bands they’re still a new band.

‘Twelve Years’ does glimmer with potential in certain lights, but at this moment in time, Daytrader aren’t as unique as we all hoped they would be. Give it time though. Give it time.

3.5/5

‘Twelve Years’  by Daytrader is out now via Rise Records.

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Words by Michael Brown