- Label: 'Alcopop! Records x Failure By Design'
- Genre: 'Indie'
- Release Date: '20th April 2018'
Our Rating:
Terror wasn’t the first sensation I experienced on reading the press release which described the cringe-inducingly-named itoldyouiwouldeatyou as an ‘indie/emo/mathpop musical collective’. And I say that as a fan of I Like Trains from back when they were styled as iLiKETRAiNS, and of andsoiwatchyoufromafar.
The EP comprises four tracks, which represents the totality of the band’s physically-unreleased previous singles to date (although the original version of ‘Off Brand’, featured here in gloopy remix form, appeared on 12” a couple of years ago) alongside brand new material. It hardy makes for a generous outpouring of creativity in terms of volume, and the same is true of the contents, sadly.
The title track is typical: winey vocals and jangly guitars shape the verses, before the big chorus breaks. There’s nothing wrong with it in technical terms, it’s well executed and the production’s fine, but that’s the best one can say for such tepid indie-rock fare. To criticise further would feel as cruel as kicking an injured puppy, but then again, inflicting this flaccid genericism on the world has an element of cruelty about it, too.
