Bearing in mind GRATITUDE come thinly-disguised as NYC purveyors of the dreaded Emo-core and are about to support the over-rated Funeral For A Friend on tour to boot....well, let's just say that's not a CV liable to endear them to your reviewer.
New single "Drive Away", though, is a pleasantly surprising cut above what I'd been expecting. Yes, it is broadly Emo in its' execution, but significantly less whiny than the usual suspects and is slower and more thoughtful than the average radio-friendly slop this genre generally flings mercilessly at us. The fact the splendidly-named frontman Jonah Matranga can actually sing and doesn't come across as the usual brattish dude helps as well.
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Just to lay the icing on the cake, they even refuse to induce apoplexy when they take us on an acoustic ride through second tune "Sadie", which is indeed some going in this kind of company where this hack is concerned.
So life's full of surprises, ain't it? "W&H Reviews Ed in NOT hating Emo-band shocker" sums this one up in a soundbite, I'd say. Cripes. What is the world coming to?
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