Review Summary: Nothing new, but solid mainstream alt-rock.
The Survival Code is a London-based duo comprising of Gary McGuinness (lead vocals, guitar) and Tom Cook (vocals, drums), who play a brand of alt-rock influenced by groups such as Foo Fighters, Biffy Clyro, Queens of the Stone Age and Deftones.
The
Broken Strings EP is the band's latest release. With only 3 tracks and 11 minutes of music on offer, this is a short but pretty sweet release that does more to whet the appetite for a full-length album than it does to really satiate any hard-rock cravings you might be having.
Opener “One” starts off strong with an interesting riff and eventually leads into a solid, if not slightly predictable, chorus. It's all a bit Foo Fighters-y, which is obviously not a bad thing but it just means that nothing really surprises. Still, it's pretty clear from the opener that The Survival Code aren't trying to reinvent the wheel here; they're just a couple of guys wanting to rock out and create some memorable tunes.
The title track follows with a somewhat similar offering. The vocals during the verses have slight shades of Chevelle frontman Pete Loeffler to them and the chorus ups the tempo nicely. The riffs are nice and the chorus is catchy... but you know what you're in for by this point. If you're a big fan of mainstream hard rock then there's little doubt you'll enjoy this release. If not, then nothing here is going to be particularly interesting to you as the band follow the genre clichés to a T.
“Lost Cause” is the EP's final offering and it introduces a slightly cleaner singing style to go along with the slower tempo. However, the song is certainly the weakest of the three, with very little to offer; it's an inoffensive mid-tempo rocker with a forgettable chorus, that's about the sum of it. It's not particularly hateable, it's just vanilla flavoured with no toppings.
The Survival Code have all of the ingredients necessary to be a successful rock radio outfit. Their songs are catchy and have enough power in the instrumental department to render them a success. As mentioned previously, however, this is nothing new or groundbreaking so anyone looking to be challenged musically will have a tough time finding something new to gain from this short release. If you're looking for some new music in the vein of other well-known rock acts, give The Suvival Code a listen and anticipate the release of their next full-length due in 2017.
