This is pretty straightforward emo/indie stuff with nice female singing. I'm not blown away by it and I think the recording is a little flat and muddy, but with more energy to the songwriting they could be pretty damn good. I like the fact that they try to keep an edge of heaviness to a lot of the material, with some post-hardcore tinges and of course plenty of melody, and I think the vocalist is pretty damn good, but the writing isn't very moving or memorable to me. The chorus to "Will I Make It" is fucking awesome, with some heavier chords and slick vocal harmonies, so I'd love to hear them hit on more of that stuff; while "Do You Remember" has a poppier edge that, while not quite there, is also something that could be pretty damn good with a little work. "I'll Wait" is the first of a set of slower and more somber songs, and it's actually one of my favorites as it's a consistent and well paced track that flows nicely, and the vocal work is again quite strong with the harmonies and more emphatic lead lines. "Wish I Was Everything" is another catchier and more energetic track, slightly more straightforward; while "Change" follows with some acoustic guitars and a much lighter sort of pop/rock thing, so this is not a one-sided disc. As far as the production goes, it's not bad, but it needs to be as polished as possible to really benefit their approach. The drums sound pretty good as is, with a nice snap and warm tones (though a little distant), and the vocals are nice and bright as well. The bass gets lost though, as it's more thick than defined (despite the basslines being a solid link between the guitars and drums), while the guitar tone is the biggest problem area. It's nice and chunky, which is good and should be honed, but there's also a strange sheen to it that adds a lot of noisiness to the mix and clouds things up, so the guitars lose a little force and strip away some of the other details, while the vocals end up leaning out front. It's a decent sound for a debut full-length, but refinements would certainly make a difference. The disc comes in a digipack with bizarre artwork. The cover shows a pink octopus with wings wearing a tiara and holding a treasure chest hovering above a dude with a dog standing atop an icy hill. What the hell!? Inside is a collage of band photos and torn paper with brief fragments of handwritten lyrics on them, which looks less professional than the cover, but does make more sense. Overall this isn't so bad, I think it's too long and loses its focus in bits and pieces, but I'd love to see this band fully realize their potential on their next outing, so I'd like to hear where they go from here.
[Play the Assassin]
Running time - 45:02, Tracks: 12
[Notable tracks: Will I Make It, I'll Wait, Wish I Was Everything]
One True Thing - http://www.onetruething.net
