They may be called one step closer, but I feel like they took two steps back with this new album all your embrace. From bland pop punk-like songs and good production, you get a nicely sounding album that is just okay writing songs. The album in a technical aspect is wonderful. The vocals sounded clear and layered well. The drums have a nice, fantastic pop to them. The riffs and bass are never overpowering each other or other instruments. It has a super clean sound. This album, I will give that to the boys in OSC. They got a great production team to make this album. Now the band itself is not to stellar on this new release. The songs themselves all seem to be on the bland side, with nothing memorable to them outside some cool drum parts here and there. Nothing from the instruments really stuck out, or it just felt like music I heard from somewhere else. For some reason, the music was lacking something. Some passion, some fire, or something else. The drums occasionally got your attention, but the guitars, bass, and vocals all just kind of exist without evoking much feeling. The vocals are clear and the lyrics are great, but for some reason nothing really resonates within you as you listen to this new record.
RATING: 7/10
NOTABLE TRACKS:
Leap Years
Blur My Memory
Topanga