Two years ago Punktastic listened to Last Letter Read and declared the Worthing outfit “pure and simple pop-punk energy.” Not much has changed on ‘These Stories Roll’, a four-tracker that’s pop-punk through and through.
So if the record’s not broken what didn’t get fixed? Well, check ’em off: syrupy-sweet vocals bedding both harmonies and sizeable hooks. An unsoiled sound that’s pristine and crisp. A truly joyous and bouncy outlook (“Your Year” has a lyrically sad content but is so positive it can only be pop-punk). Closer, “Miles Away” even has that slower/epic/heartache feel to it, an end-of-the-night crowd-pleaser for sure. And all of this is delivered more than competently. But…
One of the problems with this EP is that although it sounds good it doesn’t exactly pinpoint the seasiders as essential listening nor does it place the quintet on a plinth in front of the competition. The fact that this is the fifth EP that LLR has released in five years without progressing to the album stage suggests that the band is struggling to get over the hump, which is a good way to turn stagnant fast. There’s a real feel that if the band takes a few chances and ups the ante good things will happen. There’s no doubt that LLR is a solid pop-punk band, and in today’s climate solid pop-punk bands are doing very well for themselves. ‘These Stories Roll’ is a decent enough offering but with a little more work we’re talking business.
Alex