Sierra Kusterbeck is the 2009 version of Hayley Williams and, like it or not, VersaEmerge are the 2009 version of Paramore. VE aren’t quite the same musically, nor are they as good, but in little Sierra they have a punk rock princess that’s bound to make the guys swoon and the girls wish they were her. With an EP that’s not too bad – but not that great either – they’re destined for bigger things, certainly riding on Paramore‘s coattails. Especially as they’re also on Fueled By Ramen…
If I read a VE review that doesn’t mention Paramore I’d eat my hat. Sierra Kusterbeck’s vocals are almost identical to those of Hayley Williams. Not just in tone but in delivery too. ‘Moments Between Sleep’, for instance, could quite easily be a Paramore b-side. To be fair to the band, musically they’re not that similar to ‘the band they will always get compared to’. Paramore write banging, catchy pop-punk songs. VersaEmerge do not. The choruses here are nowhere near as catchy or memorable. Sure, ‘Whisperer’ and ‘Past Praying For’ have singalongs, but none of the songs here match up to ‘Emergency’ or ‘Misery Business’. VE are a little more subtle, there’s even a hint of Panic at the Disco in terms of the circus-esque instrumentation that litters a few of the songs here. There’s violins, maybe even a xylophone – it certainly sounds ‘big’ even if the songs don’t quite match up in terms of size.
The six songs here – and one of those is an instrumental introduction – are simply OK. Nothing special and nothing to get too excited about. Sierra does have an excellent voice however, and she’s the star of the show. Sure, she sounds the same as Hayley, but she has a good set of pipes and can clearly hold a tune. Without her is there anything to separate the band from many others? VersaEmerge will undoubtedly grace magazine covers and blow up huge, but I think that will be more because of a successful marketing campaign than the fact the band deserve it on the basis of this record. Sierra’s a cute chick and will appeal to a lot of teenagers, male and female. If a bloke fronted this band would they be any different to the myriad of other bands out there right now?
(That was a rhetorical question, kids).