Socratic – Lunch For The Sky

There’s no denying that Drive-Thru Records has just great things for the pop-punk genres. It is because of them that we’ve been able to hear some of our all time favorite bands like Allister, Fenix TX, New Found Glory, Something Corporate, Finch, Dashboard Confessional, The Starting Line and so on. But ever since their deal with MCA/Geffen came to an end, their releases and signings have been for sporadic. While at one time, any release by the label would bring up good thoughts and immediately mean good things for the band, lately, their releases has been received with careful skepticism. No one is sure what to expect anymore, will it be another hit like Houston Calls or a flop like Steel Train and The Track Record or just a memorable mediocre album like Day At The Fair? And as soon as Socratic‘s debut Lunch Of The Sky starts playing, the listener immediately feels that skepticism again.

Theme From Your Mother’s Garden is a two minute long piano introduction to the album that really takes 90 seconds before kicking in. For the first 90 seconds, you are scared because it just sounds bad, but it then starts to actually go into high gear and the skepticism is slowly whipped away as the momentum grows and the band bursts into Alexandria As Our Lens.

It seems as if Drive-Thru are going for another Something Corporate with Socratic, but fall short. While the piano here is evident on every song, it is not the driving factor like it is on many emo bands today, but rather the backbone of the songs. And instead of trying to follow the melodic, overly emotional, moving vocals, front man Duane Okun seems to try and reach a vocal style similar to Vinnie Caruana ofMovielife fame.

Really, Socratic seem to be playing fairly straight forward pop music. But at times, it seems to just work for them. Songs like the incredibly infectious and bizarre Tear A Gash (I’m leaving but before I’m gone, I have just two demands. When you look in the mirror realize how gorgeous you are and tear a gash in your wedding dress. Those bells could have rang for us. I have kids with you in my mind), the very Something Corporate-esque I Don’t Wear A Coat or the long She’s the Type Of Girl which gets interrupted by a surprising guitar solo, all seem to fit nicely. At the same time though, they have songs like Too Late Too Slow, which is just painfully boring, along with the abnormal and still boring, U And Left Turns.

So Drive-Thru Records hasn’t fully redeemed themselves with Lunch For The Sky as it is just a mediocre album. There are a few well-structured melodies on here, and it is a promising debut, but its still not up to the Drive-Thru standards just yet.