MySpace: The So So Glos

A fitting title for this debut ‘mini-album’ from the New York four-piece, as they try to combine that mix of romance and chaos that can be oh-so-tricky to make work. Existing right at the heart (literally) of an organic music and art community in their hometown of Brooklyn, where magic always rests on the edge of madness, they have more credentials than most to articulate a sense of a ‘fractured community’ through their self-proclaimed ‘extremely non-fiction punk rock’.

So the question is; do they succeed?

With some steady musicianship and intriguing lyrics, the record suggests that they are capable of genuinely recapturing that early Libertines beauty-at-gun-point sound. The most clear-cut examples are Underneath The Universe and new single My Block, which demonstrate an ear for a pleasant song dynamic that could allow them to escape the confines of their ‘punk’ tag, and develop more subtle pop sensibilities reminiscent of indie sweethearts Pavement.

Unfortunately, the more convincing moments become too infrequent, as they seemingly struggle to recognise where their strengths lay over the course of the nine (more seven and a half) songs here. Too often they are in danger of falling into a parody of second-album Libertines, with Love Or Empire and There’s A War sluggishly trying to be whimsical, or the likes of Isn’t It A Shame sounding too familiar to really work.

Stand-out track Island Loops more delicately recalls Television’s drums-and-guitars-made-of-matchsticks, and, combined with a sweet vocal, the song offers another indication that the raw talent for making intricate punk-pop is waiting to be realised. The biggest obstacle the band face is trying to channel their ideas more carefully, in order to find that sense of individuality that Tourism/Terrorism is lacking. Despite offering a firm glimpse of the band’s potential, it’s just a little too predictable to really set them apart.

6/10

By Spencer Betts