Lilac Lungs, who have knighted themselves as an Indie Rock band, really are not what they seem like on the tin. Their new album Eventide, comes across less as something a band with “Rock” in the genre title- it comes across much more as a pop record. The Detroit four-piece get in touch with their keys-influenced synth-pop on this album, but the real question is- is it any good?
Opening the album with Welcome to the Fallout, the album shows serious promise to be a light yet swinging release, with its swift pace and a sharp grip on tension. However, as the album progresses, the tracks seem to blur together for the most part like one large entity. While a lot of artists can use this to their advantage, Lilac Lungs’ style and technique make the tracks feel all too similar to each other, and unfortunately forces them all to feel forgettable. Next To Nothing feels fresh as it’s different enough to the opening track, but as this track progresses into the similar Uh Oh it becomes clear to the listener that this slowed, wide feeling style will stretch throughout the album. Eventide’s key flaw is simply too much emphasis on the vocals performed by Emily Torres– the instrumentals are pushed far into the background so that she can stand at the front and prove her skills to her audience. This is one of the reasons the album feels unfortunately vapid- and even in moments where the instruments become more apparent, they seem too simple and regurgitated to really feel like anything special, like in slower track All I Have.
While a huge portion of the album is far too concerned with pushing the vocals to be the focal point, in moments when this tones down like in Guard Dog the most enjoyment is fine. The catchy chorus and funky drum beats whip the song up to be a more fun and enjoyable pop experience. Unfortunately though, the track has to slow down considerably to give vocalist Emily her spotlight. When this happens nothing seems emphasised like her vocals, and it doesn’t add anything to the songs, as it feels like practically every other song regurgitates this same formula.
All in all, Lilac Lungs fail to bring anything new to the table, creating a ten track album that feels much longer than it needs to be. Eventide is, for lack of a better description, a repetitive bore, yet it doesn’t seem quite awful enough to not serve as some mindless background noise.
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