Five-piece Scots band LATONIC are a great big square peg called pop rock that will only fit in a great big square hole marked pop rock.
Although they occupy an attractive genre, at this stage they lack a defining sound and despite all the hooks there’s a prevalence of ‘filler’ on their five track ‘Half Life’ EP. They’re also somewhat stymied by an overriding feeling of my having heard it all before and not particularly enjoying it much the first time around. Their derivative sound is also too clean and polished – like a cross between the ultra dull Feeder, a heavier Busted and umpteen US Emo bands. Which probably explains why the shining chrome production sounds as if it’s aimed at American FM radio rather than anything this side of the pond. Or maybe I’m that clueless in not realising that that’s the sound people want this side of the pond.
There is also a one-dimensionality to the arrangements and the projection is always aimed at the gallery: all big, blousy and blustering with little in the way of finesse or a desire to alter the mood or the balance. You could change the running order of the five tracks ‘Half Life’, ’24 Hours’, ‘Another Day’, ‘Perfect Dream’ and ‘Fall Into Me’ and I’d probably not notice the difference.
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In their favour they have a nice line in harmonies and they keep up a breath-taking pace but I can’t shake the notion that the pace is being set on a treadmill that has only one setting. Despite all the criticisms I can see hoards of people going for this and buying it in droves, should LATONIC get signed and benefit from a sufficient push in the market-place. But that’s the basis of my disappointment and overall ambivalence to this effort: it sounds like a product solely designed for mass market consumption rather than music that demands to be tracked down and discovered .
There are flashes of something but LATONIC – in me ‘umble opinion - are at ground zero and their musical horizons need to be broadened and artistic ambitions stretched if they’re going to take it to another level.
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