With a lot of promos/demos coming through to Punktastic in a humble sleeve with hand written notes attached, it is never the best way to introduced us to the band, but understandably producing something a little more sleek is expensive and time consuming. There are exceptions to this rule though, and Whalter are one of the few to really pull out the impressive artwork card to woo us into falling for their band. But where as others may not have the looks, but certainly have the moves, the same cannot be said for the band in question. Unfortunately their music is as flat and uninspiring as they come with a very disconcerting ‘college’ pop punk sound dominating proceedings, leaving whatever first impressions you had, long behind.
Beginning with the mundane ‘This Time’, it all sounds a little bit too ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ from the off, and save for a rousing finale does little to inspire. ‘Just Can’t Care’ is aptly named and continues the run of over simplified music while the basic lyrics on show serve a double barrel of nothing for the listener. Ending on the lo-fi ‘Before You Go’, it shows minor improvements but still isn’t enough to change any lasting opinions you may have on the band. There are minor plus’s though in the form of tight production and the music is also performed decently enough for interest not to disappear instantly, but unless the complete product entertains, then there is little to come back for. Below par at best.
Jay