Look Alive – Translucent EP

Sacremento, CA emo-punks Look Alive must have been listening to a shit ton of Brand New and At The Drive Inn while writing for their latest release, a 4 track EP titled Tranlucent (via Autumn + Colour Records) as the influence is pretty obvious. Sadly, despite having quite impressive moments, the end result doesn’t reach the lofty heights of either of those bands.

Putting the ‘I’ in Isolation kicks the EP off with tommy gun style drums and killer riffs that shift from heavy to tender with ease. So far so good, but unfortunately the vocals, despite their intense delivery just lack depth. It’s a shame as the song is well crafted, chalk full of melody and includes some interesting time changes. Underrated veers into Neighborhoods – era Blink 182 crossed with any one of the 1990’s quiet/loud bands. The guitar riffing is decidedly average and wouldn’t sound put of place on a Linkin Park intro. Regret Tastes a Lot Like Malt Liquor- starts with a slow build up which is just long enough to seem annoying, but just as you may be about to reach for the skip button, the pace quickens, the lyrics drop in and suddenly you’re hooked. The vocals are strained and desperate and although the lyrics tell a familiar story of things lost, the music takes you on a journey of matching highs and lows which really shouldn’t work, but totally does. If the future of this band is built on songs like this, then it looks and sounds bright. The Bad Conversationalist features an insane set of riffs to open, even if the overall production lets it down. Regrettably the vocals drift into overly nasally territory which overshadows the really quite excellent music. The chorus is slightly better with its furious change of pace, and one wonders why they seem set on this loud/quiet dynamic as it just sounds a bit forced and only really works for them on Regret…

Look Alive band aspires to be a lot better than they actually are at the moment, but there are hints of potential. There is little doubt of their musicianship and songwriting abilities, they just need to find a way to stand out in an already crowded genre.