Band: Divided By Friday
Album: Two Legit (EP)
Reviewed By: Tyler Hess
Track Listing:
1. Phase Two: Operation Fiscal Jackhammer
2. Girl, You Got It Goin’ On
3. Beneath The Moon
4. My Bright Blue Light
5. The Watchmen
Jumping on the latest wave of pop-punk with a power-pop flavor (think of some kind of Philmont/Capital Lights combo value meal), Divided By Friday are a young and promising band, but with some obvious needs for improvement.
Starting with the first of a five song EP, “Phase Two: Operation Fiscal Jackhammer”, the boys start out with probably their best sound, where the faster the merrier as it is fun and hides their most fatal flaws, while gripping onto flaws that they can get by with instead. This song reminds me a lot of a British band named BNR, but I’m probably the only person around that knows who they are, even though I’ve mentioned them around these parts before, so there’s a good chance that bit of info means nothing to you. That is okay with me, kilobytes are cheap these days.
The point I’d like to get across on the next four songs, however, is that although they are capable of making some decent songs, they mostly sound like song re-treads, a copy of a copy of a copy, like they’ve all been done before, but better. “My Bright Blue Light”, the fourth track has the most memorable hook, talking about their love for Carolina, but also feature the most annoying high pitched whiny vocals this side of The Rocket Summer. The final song, “The Watchmen” is probably the best/worst example of trying to find a sound and not quite being there, with a little bit of screamo thrown into it at the end, which was a played out trend years ago.
To be honest, the parts are all in place, but they need to make their songs their own. They’ve got to find their own voice. Otherwise, they might as well be a cover band.
Overall: If you are happy with any pop punk band, no matter how much they sound like a dozen other bands, then Divided By Friday’s Too Legit EP is for you, but they really need to step up their game to spend your hard earned money on it, even if your hard earned money isn’t hard earned.
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