Promise Divine

Promise Divine EP

Written by: TL on 26/01/2011 15:49:33

Okay so here's an admission. I've been listening to, and halfway digging, the self-titled debut EP of the Swedish pop-punk quintet Promise Divine for a little while now, but it wasn't until today that I bothered to actually have a good look at the boys in the band. My first reaction: Don't these dudes look a little too grown up to be playing this sort of music?

And by 'this sort of music' I mean pop-punk of the entirely glossy, American, 'scene' kind. It's nothing new for Swedish bands to try their hand in this genre, as we've seen bands like for instance Kid Down and Chemical Vocation make passes at it before. The cool thing about Promise Divine is that I think they actually do better than either of the others, elevating pop-punk to a quite anthemic place it hasn't often found itself in lately. If any of you remember the very first Sound The Alarm EP (the only record on which that band was good), they'll know exactly what I'm on about.

If you don't know them however, try to imagine The Jealous Sound or Third Eye Blind, trying to make pop-rock out of Taking Back Sunday songs - or just think of the likes of There For Tomorrow or Mayday Parade. Anyway, this disc showcases the usual effieciency with which Swedes seem to go about things, as the songs on offer sound catchy, well-recorded and quite distinct. "A Fairytale of Goodbye" and "Sucker Punch Poetry" exhibit a fine sense for melody and dynamics, and their soaring kind of choruses are of the sort the band will need to get off the ground.

As such, there's not much other than slight unoriginality to complain about on this particular record. The question if is if reinterpreting popular American sounds will be enough to sustain the band for more than an EP or two, and if the band will otherwise have the talent to spice things up with new ideas. That remains to be seen however, and for the time being "Promise Divine EP" is as enjoyable as any anthemic pop-punk EP I've heard in recent times, so fans of that type of stuff should feel right at home here.

Download: A Fairytale of Goodbye; Sucker Punch Poetry; Me, In The Study, With The Revolver
For The Fans Of: There For Tomorrow, Mayday Parade, Chemical Vocation
Listen: myspace.com/promisedivine

Release Date 27.12.2010
Snapping Fingers



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