I like my pop-punk and I even like Fueled By Ramen, but their recent signings have merely been copies of the label’s more successful acts. Powerspace mix vocoders, samples, synths and hooky choruses and, in theory, should be your new favourite band. But ‘The Kicks Of Passion’ just comes across as an absolutely awful hotchpotch of sounds that doesn’t work. ‘Be Aggressive’, for instance, is completely computer generated, from The Higher-esque vocal to the completely made-up beats and samples.
And while the band can clearly write a decent tune – ‘Powerspace Snap Bracelet’ and the rockin’ The Academy Is-esque ‘This Is Not What You Had Planned’ are awesome – all too often this sounds like The Killers meets Motion City Soundtrack meets TAI, but not in a good way. The fact this record has been out six weeks and I’ve hardly read anything about this band probably speaks volumes.
That said, this time next year I’m sure they’ll be huge. No-one listens to me anyway…