Okay, so you have Davey Havok from AFI and Tom Dumont, Adrian Young and Tony Kanal from No Doubt forming a new band. Expectation is high, right? What are you gonna get? Punk, alternative, what?? Well, what we have here is some decently good new wave inspired pop tunes. Definitely a downer—not what I was expecting, at least. “Kill For Candy,” the first single, is one of the most disappointing tracks of the year.
From the opening riff of the first track, “After I Confessed,” I got a very heavy Flock of Seagulls vibe—compressed drumming and a lot of ambience. Davey’s vocals are okay but this is definitely a shock to the ears. Oh, God. “On The Charts” comes off sounding like Neon Trees! What has been wrought here, just mediocrity at its worst.
“All Of The Dead Girls Love Me” is one of the more rewarding tracks here, but overall this band just isn’t what it could’ve been. Turning up the guitars and turning off the keyboards would’ve worked a lot better and made this record much more memorable.
“The Assailant” is the best song here; great vocals, good guitar work and sounding more like an alternative rock record than most of the other tracks. Too bad it’s too damn short. “Slip On The Moon,” another decent track, strips back some of the new wave tendencies and shows what the band could’ve been if only they’d tried harder.
This is probably one of the most disappointing releases by a “supergroup” since No Devotion (members of Thursday and lostprophets.) This record could’ve been a complete washout if it wasn’t for two decent tracks. All in all, let’s hope this is a band that only stick around for one record and nothing more.