EAST ISLAND CITY - ME AND WHAT ARMY?
Intervene Records

East Island City lull you into a false sense of security with opening acoustic number Feels Like Home to Me, a downbeat number that suggests an AOR sound, albeit an above average one. But without pausing for breath, the band quickly slam into No Tomorrow, a pleasingly aggressive slice of commercial punk with – whisper it quietly – an Emotional edge.

Things get faster with the title track, an infectiously angst-ridden rocker that is effortlessly good, but the record stumbles a bit with The Borderline, a track that fails to find any real direction. Luckily, it soon gets back on track with You Are The Light, a melodious and appealing track that is practically begging to appear on some teen TV show soundtrack.

Closer Nobody’s Gonna Miss Us is probably the high spot of the album, an effortlessly poppy anthem, boosted by vocalist Greg McLoughlin being backed by artfully placed (and unidentified) female vocals. It’s a pretty damned excellent number and suggests that there are great things to come from this band.huge.

DAVID FLINT