ATTENTION THIEVES - LOOK A LITTLE CLOSER

This new four track from Attention Thieves is a pretty solid collection of non-nonsense rock – suitably fast, loud and furious enough to suggest a great live experience while having a definite commercial edge. The band might not seem much different from a bunch of other emo bands out there, but they do what they do pretty well, and it’s easy to see them commandeering Kerrang! covers and building quite a fan base of sullen teens.

That’s not an attempt to belittle what they do, by the way. While this might exactly be groundbreaking stuff, there’s no arguing with its appeal. You’ll Be the One has crossover commerciality written large across it, with soaring vocals, crunching guitars and an infectious accessibility that is begging for heavy rock radio airplay.

Backing this up are a trio of effective, suitably angst-ridden yet melodic numbers – Bring Yourself to Justice, Can’t Say and We Won’t Live Forever are all decent, catchy, lively rockers. None of these songs are offering up anything new, but as emo goes – and like it or not, that’s what this is, despite efforts to bracket the band in a proper punk world – then this is a step or two above the average.

LES DE MONZE

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