Review Summary: I don't think they should do this anymore
I think their debut album was just a fluke at this point. That record, I'll Keep You In Mind, is a fantastic album where almost every song could be a single. The follow up, Blush, was pretty bland, although had stand-out singles in Honey and Knuckles, with Cheek and Sulk being alright. In retrospect, their sophomore effort was was a fairly uninspiring release that started promisingly, but drifted off a lot towards the end of the record. In the interviews I watched of them after it sounded like they went into the studio hoping to come up with some magic again, but just didn't really.
This album, their 3rd release, is painfully average and devoid of any real personality and creative spark. It might as well be a Blush B-side. The first 8 tracks are all fairly forgettable and are about as 'Moose Blood by numbers' as you could get. Glenn Harvey, who deservedly left the band amid sexual misconduct allegations, is not particularly missed on drums with new member, Lee Munday, putting in a fairly decent performance, although it's only really Kyle Todd on bass who has a few standout moments sonically. It's strange how Blush starts off quite well and potters off, because this record only really picks up in quality towards the end. The last 3 tracks, 'Such A Shame', 'Promise Me' and closer 'It's Too Much' are the best on here and are the only tracks that offer some kind of progression - It's Too Much is a brilliant example of the sort of stuff they should be writing now. It's the only song on here that could make a case for being in the top 10 songs they've ever written, which for a band only on their 3rd album release, is very telling.
When you're a band that has this much controversy hanging around you, with fans and media outlets (albeit not the big ones) dropping you like flies, you need to put out a much better record than this. 'Blush' had a very minimalist feel, with the artwork epitomising that aesthetically, but at least it felt a bit poetic. The artwork for this looks like something a 14 year old would knock up in 5 minutes and post on Tumblr - minimal effort, rather than minimalist. I feel not so much a sense of anger or disappointment at this album, but more, apathy - and that seems to stem from the band itself, even the title "I Don't Think I Can Do This Anymore" feels like a soliloquy to it's audience letting them know that the writing is on the wall for this band.
In truth, it's a very uninspiring album and I think this is probably the final chapter in their back catalogue. It's not a bad album by any means, lyrically it's actually fairly good and it's obvious that Eddy, the lead singer, has had a rough few years, which sometimes translates to fantastic albums for these sort of bands, but it very much feels like Moose Blood are treading water and on auto-pilot at this point. It's a shame to see what has become of a band that had so much promise and personality when they burst onto the scene, although I'm sure many out there understandably do not share the same sympathy - it doesn't please me to say it, but I really don't think they should do this anymore.
