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Band/Artist: Earshot

Origins: Los Angeles, California

Founded: 1999

Members:

Current Members:

Wil Martin – vocals (1999–2010, 2014–present)

Andy Stafford – guitar (2020–present)

John Novak – bass (2020–present)

Mike Sylvia – drums (2020–present)

Aaron Fink – guitar (2020–present)

Previous Members:

Guy Couturier – bass (1999–2000)

Johnny Sprague – bass (2000–2005)

Billy Blair – bass (2005–2009)

“Rooster” – bass (2009–2010)

Scott Kohler – guitar (1999–2009)

Mike Callahan – guitar (1999–2005)

Travis Arnold – guitar (2005–2009)

Chris Loveless – guitar (2009–2010)

Josh Guinn – guitar (2009–2010)

Todd Wyatt – drums (1999–2003)

Chas Stumbo – drums (2003–2005)

Darren Pfeifer – drums (2005–2010)

Studio albums: 3

Active: Yes

Welcome, denizens, to the fourteenth edition(!) of A diagnosis from a (faux) Doctor. Today’s examination is going to be a bit of a nostalgia trip, walking back into a liminal period where you crippled the family computer downloading music off Limewire after discovering a choice band you discovered playing a video game. In the case of Earshot, like the vast majority of us, I discovered this LA-based rock unit playing the classic Madden game: Madden 2005 – a soundtrack so bloody good, it should get its own analysis. There were two versions of Earshot’s smash-hit single “Wait”, both of which had a profound effect on my musical development, and were equally played to death. The first was the original version in all its glory; the second was the now hard-to-find Madden-exclusive, “The D.O.C. vs Earshot – The Madden Re-Match”, which mashed up “Wait” with The D.O.C.’s equally iconic “It’s Funky Enough”. To this day “Wait” is the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” of Earshot songs and still gets heavy rotation around the world. For me, while I loved the band’s sophomore Two back in the day, I didn’t really give much attention to their other albums, bar maybe listening to Letting Go a couple times. Since Earshot have made it clear they’re set to release a new album in 2025, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to listen to their body of work extensively and come up with a definitive diagnosis. So, let’s get into it!     

Letting Go (2002)

The Doctor’s rating: 3/5

Analysis: As far as debut albums go, this has the typical symptoms of a band feeling around for their own place and sound within the scene. Letting Go is a solid enough album, of course, and has a few note-worthy numbers in there to warrant giving it a go, but it suffers from a bloated run-time with bad pacing, and it rather brazenly wears its influences on its sleeve, in this case Tool. Breaking Benjamin did comparable Tool worship on their debut album, Saturate, but because Wil Martin has a similar vocal style echoic of Maynard’s, the parallels are a little off-putting. Indeed, the album is strongest when it moves away from this approach and we get to hear some of the potential Two would later tap into. “Headstrong”, “Misery”, “Not Afraid” and “We Fall, We Stand” are solid alt-rock tracks that make the distracting aspects of their sound worthwhile. So long as you don’t go into this expecting a masterpiece, you’ll get a decent amount of enjoyment from it.         

Prescription: As is the case with so many bands during this time, Letting Go is a fun, albeit flawed debut album with a few obvious knots and kinks to be ironed out in the future. Jam once and see how you get on.

Two (2004)

The Doctor’s rating: 4.2/5

Analysis: Two holds a lot of nostalgic qualities that make it hard to view this with an unbiased, gushing, lens. However, it’s objectively clear the songwriting, production and creativity is peak Earshot. Two manages to omit the distracting Tool comparisons, instead standing on its hind legs and proving to the world Earshot has so much more to contribute to the world. As the opening paragraph of this analysis touches on, “Wait” was a big song for the band and did a lot of good things to get heads turning, however, there are so many great songs on this album that bolster their case – more specifically “Tongue-tied”, “Someone”, “Rotten Inside”, “Again”, and album closer “Control” where they get the formula faultless. Nevertheless, every track on here, with the exception of the rather flat “Should’ve Been There”, gets the quiet verse/loud chorus method down with superlative results. There’s also a pretty unique vibe to Two that makes it stand out from the crowd, one that has the kind of oppression you’d find on an industrial record being harmonised with a big, meaty and energised production.    

Prescription: This is a fantastic alt-rock record with excellent songwriting and a great production. Thus far this is Earshot functioning at their best. Listen to it 4-5 times a day for a week, then play it as necessary after that.  

The Silver Lining (2008)

The Doctor’s rating: 3.5/5

Analysis: After a considerable waiting period, The Silver Lining lands as a decent successor to Two, though not quite as impactfully. The obvious talking point here is that The Silver Lining mostly moves laterally rather than forwards. The distinction between this and Two is that it trades in their heavier sound for a more blues-rock and grunge orientated flavour – akin to what was popular at a time when Nickelback was dominating the mainstream – while utilising the Two framework that made that album pop off. Occasionally the LP apes their heavier side in the form of “Closer” and “Wasted”, but for the most part you’re getting a more subdued sound that focuses more on driving rock riffs, to the point of sounding a little samey by the end of it, and big hooks. Still, the aforementioned tracks, as well as “MisSunderstood” and “Where the Pain Begins” do a good job serving up atmospheric riffs and catchy choruses, but ultimately, it’s not to the same pedigree as Two.    

Prescription: A rock-solid successor that moves away from their heavier side for the most part. Jam 2-3 times a day for a week and see how you get on.

Supplements:

Aftermath EP (2015)

Aftermath is an EP that attempts to blend the sounds of Two and The Silver Lining together, with mixed results. While the EP starts strong with “Now That it’s Over” and “Let Me” doing a competent job at balancing the heavy alt-rock sound of the former with the grungy-blues riffs of the latter, the EP takes a pretty severe nosedive with the incredibly beige and inconsequential “Yesterday”, and cookie-cutter “Remember”. The acoustic rendition of “Fall Apart” is a nice version to listen to, but overall the EP lacks consistent songwriting with a firm goal in mind.

Doctor’s Notes:

Strengths:

• Two‘s sound is such an off-kilter synthesis of alt-rock/metal riffs with satisfyingly colossal choruses, and there’s a distinct flavour in the approach.
• When Earshot gets the formula right, the verse-chorus explosion is amazing.
• For the most part, their sound is atmospheric and catchy, but they work best when they sound heavy.

Weaknesses: 

• A large portion of the band’s career is found in soul-searching and experimenting with various sounds, with volatile results.
• The regular line-up changes have clearly had a profound effect on the body of their work, overall.

Diagnosis: 

After sitting with Earshot’s entire discography, my overall thoughts are ones steeped in frustration. Two hammers home a genuinely excellent sound that pushes heavy, dark riffs with sharp, well-implemented and thought-out choruses that feel cathartic and satisfying to listen to. Letting Go shows a lot of the same qualities, but being that it’s an album trying to get its feet under the table, the quality isn’t quite there yet. The Silver Lining recognises the value in Two‘s style, but the diluting of their heaviness in favour of blues riffs is indicative of the times in which it was made, while Aftermath is at odds with itself, trying to work out what the band’s strengths ultimately are. Because Earshot rests on such a precarious position and doubts where its qualities lie, the large gap in between albums does a certain amount of damage in itself, as aspects of it either come across dated or trying to implement contemporary elements that don’t work so well. Now that Earshot has, what seems to be, a firm line-up, here’s hoping the new album brings out the best elements Earshot has to offer.