Emotionalpunk.com
Media Review
Music Quality: 7.0
Production: 9.0
Originality: 4.5
Tracklisting
2. Get Up
3. Take A Drink With Me
4. Let Me Go In
5. Rush Together
6. Maybe Misery
7. I Lie Awake
8. The Seasons
9. Time After Time
10. Both Ways
Quietdrive is a young band with honest beginnings and big aspirations. There’s no doubt that they want to be on the radio. They want to sell loads or records. Honestly, they’d probably love seeing themselves on TRL as well. For me, that would usually be a huge turn off. However, indie elitism has never been in my bag of tricks, and I don’t plan on subscribing to it anytime soon. I take things for what they are. Quietdrive’s debut release “When All That’s Left Is You” is a piece of near pop-punk/alt-rock, made for the radio-waves, perfection.
By no means is this a ground-breaking, genre-blending work of art. It doesn’t lift us out of our current state of mundanity and doesn’t distance us from any of those all too familiar alt-rock clichés. My blame by no means falls on these boys from the good ole’ Midwest. It’s a big feat for any band to accomplish in a scene where commonalities abound and originality takes a back seat to mediocrity and prosaically manufactured music. Quietdrive is able to slightly distinguish themselves above the rest with music that sticks to your ribs. Their garishly crafted pop/rock tracks are certain to bring you back to simpler times when a solid radio hit was all the satiation you would ever need. Tight, punchy, rhythmic instrumentation comes full force on tracks like “Take A Drink With Me”, “Maybe Misery” and the band’s fervent first single, “Rise From The Ashes”. The boys don’t mind taking a break from their astute, up-tempo specialties to pull, though gently, on your heartstrings. “Rush Together” and “I Lie Awake” are perhaps the best case in point example of this. I myself receive these more melodic, artfully crafted tracks far better than their run of the mill pop punk tendencies. Though my praises are many, the band’s decision to cover the ever so generic “Time After Time” is something that doesn’t sit well with me. We want to hear new music, not your over the top interpretation of a classic that many of us have a notorious love/hate relationship with.
Though this disc may have impressed upon me more during my more youthful, formidable years, it’s simply too hard not to take pleasure in the summer’s next big pop album. Let your guard down and get into something that is bound to charm your haughty predispositions into hiding.