Review Summary: Overall, Sore Eyes have made small improvements to details that have made a difference. The heavier sound works for them, and all of the band got much more of a chance to shine. If you’re looking for some hard rock with pop sensibilities, look no furthe
Sore Eyes- A Life Away EP Review
Sore Eyes (circa 2010):
Shi Eubank- Vocals
Jeremiah Lipscomb- Guitar
Landon Fox- Bass
Chris Whitman- Drums
On their first release, Sore Eyes had a great blend of harder alternative rock and pop rock. They sounded like a mix of a lighter A Day To Remember, Anberlin, and a screamless Saosin. For their second release, they switched producers, going from Brett Hestla (former bassist for Creed) who produced their first EP, to Andrew Wade, who produced for bands like A Day To Remember and The Word Alive. What effect does the switch in producers have, and does the band sound the same as previous? Read on.
The answer is yes and no. The formula from the previous EP remains: rockier tracks and poppier tracks. Other than sounding a tad bit more polished and clear, production is the same. The difference: the rock tracks are heavier, and there’s more of them. The pop tracks are much more alt-rock styled than pop rock, and the band is definitely moving in a slightly harder direction. Take “Breathe In” as an example. Possibly the heaviest Sore Eyes song, it opens with some pretty hard riffs (note: pretty hard for their genre, it’s not metal) and pounding drums. There’s some great palm-muted riffs and harmonics in the verses, and Shi sounds a little darker than before. The chorus is pounding as well, sounding very akin to a harder Anberlin or Saosin chorus. The gang vocals in the second verse also show the group going much more in a post-hardcore direction. Shi sounds a little deeper and more serious than before as well, and the guitar seems tuned a bit lower, but maybe that’s just me. It’s a highly enjoyable track, for sure. The two other rockers “Baby Let’s Dance” and “Take My Hand” also go in a harder direction, though not quite as heavy as “Breathe In.” “Baby Let’s Dance” has some cool palm-muted riffing and drumming throughout, and it sounds much more urgent than the rock tracks off the first EP. The chorus is similar to the one in “OMG”, but it is much more somber. “Take My Hand” has a post-hardcore feel opening, similar to something Search the City would pull off. Also, the ending of “Baby Let’s Dance” is a guitar-led breakdown, it’s great. Alt-rock opener “City Lights” slows down a tad bit, and opens with a cool sweeping riff from Jeremiah, and light-hearted lyrics from Shi. The chorus is strong, almost as strong as “OMG”. Final track “Don’t Come Home” has more of a pop feel to it, but the guitar and drum led opening throw in some rock edge. Landon can be heard in the verses here, as well as the opening for “Baby Let’s Dance”
Positives include Landon getting a little more chance to shine: he even gets a mini-solo at the beginning of “Baby Let’s Dance”. The group’s infectious, raucous energy is again present here, if more so. The harder rock edge fits the guys pretty well, and hopefully Empire City (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, read Sore Eyes’ bio) will experiment some with the newfound hard rock edge. Shi sounded great on the first EP, but he sounds even better here, though his voice is a little deeper. Jeremiah’s crunchy riffs are present as well, and his mini-solos are still present too. Chris gets more chances to shine on the drums, playing some pretty cool fills. The lyrics are also a positive, but I’ll address those later. Negatives are few: it’s still pretty short, and since its high quality, I wish the guys had done a full length. Shi can occasionally be a little hard to understand at his quieter moments as well. But, the guys have improved upon their original sound.
Lyrically, they are a little more serious this time around as well. “Baby Lets Dance” deals with an angsty breakup, while “Breathe In” deals with relating to a girlfriend the singer feels anger for, but it’s still pretty angsty, and fittingly so. Those who favor the more light-hearted approach will enjoy “City Lights”, which addresses life in the city, and “Take My Hand”, which is much more of your typical love song.
