Small Town SINdrome – It Only Gets Worse

Grand Rapids Minnesota is obviously the life blood of this band, how small this town is might be a matter of perspective I guess, but what you do get is a big town sound from this three piece, well four on some tracks, seeing as Bouncing Souls Pete Steinkopf plays on some of the tracks on this their second album in three years of the bands life. Pete also has a huge hand in the giving life to this album, being involved in the recording, mixing and co-production, in Little Eden Recording Studio.

It Only Gets Worse now gets it time to show us what the band are capable of, first albums are always difficult to follow up, the pressure can give some bands a real headache they had never thought about when they let their music loose on the world for the first time, so hitting the studio again and then release day must be so nerve racking.  Has this been traumatic for STS or have they taken it like a band that is just enjoying what they do, well let us see… or hear anyway!

Small Town Sindrome might be the name, but what you get right from the off is not a small sound, big sounds are in evidence as soon as ‘Too Far Gone’ stand out track of the album first and why not, hits the lugs, a production that 100% suits this bands sound, the love that I get from hearing a booming bass that holds its own and is not pushed back into oblivion by an overpowering guitar sound, this has not only been addressed, but its been used to wonderful effect.  

The next two tracks ‘Tell My Why’ and ‘It Only Gets Worse’ do give you a very strange sense of, what are this band about?  From the previous album How This Ends you took away a very gritty earthier sound, musically a little edgier, this album has a much more polished sound, these two tracks especially gave me a huge sense of 90’s Manchester band Stone Roses mixed with Weezer, which was a little disconcerting from a Minnesota band.

But then ‘Insomnia’ drops a straight up Blink 182 bass line feel from the off and all seems weirdly safer, ‘On My Way’ then goes back to that edgier sound with a huge splash of Green Day riddled through it, even the vocal is chillingly familiar.  Before you know it, the end arrives!  ‘To Nothing At All’ brings this very long EP…. sorry short album to a close.

A band that has carved their own niche by somehow having familiarities of sound that make up a unique sound that is infectiously melodic, full of surprises and well worth an almost 25 minutes of your time.

Released Via Jab Records on October 15th Head over to the bands WEBSITE for lots of info.

The Album will be available via all good streaming sites too Apple Spotify Deezer and Amazon

Also join them on their FACEBOOK