The Cold Beat – Get Safe

Massachusetts’ punk informed rockers The Cold Beat first released their debut EP, Dumbwaiter, a little over a year ago – and it was pretty good.  It wasn’t anything terribly unique mind you, but certainly a worthy introduction to the band.  A year later, the band’s first full length and subsequent follow-up, Get Safe, is a natural extension of those original five songs, but with a few attempted improvements.

The Cold Beat retains much of its signature dusty, almost-Midwestern drive, but doesn’t do much beyond adding a new layer of production polish.  Get Safe feels at its best when breezily jamming along to simple, wistful melodies, as per the soft, fuzzy riffs of “On The Way Down,” and the Springsteen-eque beat of East Coast pieces like “Submerge” and “Snake Oil.”  Such moments are easy to digest, requiring little effort on the part of the listener when stomaching individual melodies.

As previously mentioned, the production value has also seen a slight upgrade.  The band now fills out their soundscape with greater precision, even offering up a couple new tricks.  For instance, album opener “Play To Win” wastes little time acquainting listeners with a shiny new horn section, and “Copper Green” pulls out some sleek riffage and distortion.

Furthermore, vocalist Chris Amaral hasn’t lost his uniquely authentic, sloppy but refined tone.  On the one hand he sounds too youthful to come across as raspy or weathered as punk stalwarts Chuck Ragan or Brian Fallon, but at the same time feels too scratchy to occupy anything resembling innocence or naivety.  Instead he feels like a young adult forced to come of age well before his time, making for a sense of well-traveled worldliness.  That being said, sometimes Amaral misses the mark, coming off broken and confused.  For example, “Hook, Line And Sink Her” feels a little too off kilter for its own good; as Amaral feels carelessly off key, with the accompanying garagey guitars offering little in terms of relief.

But for all of Get Safe’s strengths and weaknesses, the full-length still comes across rather – well – safe.  Much like my chief hang up with Dumbwaiter, The Cold Beat still doesn’t do much to differentiate itself from many of their inspirations or likenesses.  Furthermore, for a band that seems to have its sights set on landing the next great garage hook, nothing really lingers past its run time, or steps up to make itself known.  That being said, listeners will enjoy Get Safe for what it is.  Let’s just hope The Cold Beat can become a little more down the line.