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InMe

The Pride

Written by: TL on 10/04/2012 14:06:16

The new InMe album "The Pride" is a record I really should probably leave for AP or BL to review, what with them having listened to some of the British alterna-rock insitution's previous four albums and me having heard none of those. But those guys are so busy (slooooow) and I've been listening to "The Pride" quite a bit recently, so I think it'll be alright if I just go ahead and relieve them of this burden. I'm sure they'll both be very thankful.

Anyway, from what I'm reading about InMe's career so far, the band is known for putting out albums of quite consistent quality, even though they took their sound in a more progressive direction on 2009's "Herald Moth" with the first time addition of a second guitarist in Ben Konstantinovic. He has since then been replaced with Gazz Marlow, but that does not mean that "The Pride" is not an album that sees InMe dive further into their progressive ideas. You just might not notice right off the bat, because what "The Pride" is before it is anything else, is an album that bids its listener welcome with an opening salvo of soaring, swelling - and more importantly; excellent - choruses, in starting trio "Reverie Shores", "Moonlit Seabed" and "Great Man".

All three songs see frontmant Dave McPherson lift his voice to the upper heights of his reach and belt out captivating lines on top of uplifting riffage, yet while these moments are so far the stars of the show, the attentive listener will also quickly notice that the rhythms and chord progressions often take twists and turns of a more exotic variety that what you're likely used to from contemporary alterna-rock bands. And this approach is gradually expanded upon over the album, first by the verse and bridge of "Silver Womb" and later on the likes of "Escape To Mysteriopa" and "Beautiful Sky Gardens", which have moments that are at times almost djent-ish, at times almost Pink Floyd-ish and at times "sounds like it could've been a soundtrack to a futuristic anime"-ish.

This makes the record feel like it gradually changes character from being immediately captivating in the beginning, to being more labyrinthine and immersive towards the ending. That's by no means a harmful dynamic though, as the wealth and density of InMe's instrumental universe help them counter-balance the fact that - despite the strong, strained choruses and effective lead/backing vocal arrangements - their vocal tones are not the most striking you'll hear all year. Don't get me wrong, Dave McPherson certainly has the skill and force of conviction to come through sounding pretty good, but sadly, he doesn't quite have the sweep-you-off-your-feet type of quality that many promising British vocalists are spoiling us with these days (Liam Cromby, James Veck-Gilodi, Gustav Wood, Ryan Redman just to name a few).

While this trade-off may yet keep InMe from becoming the first choice of the more vocally obsessed mainstream audience, it may also likely strengthen their position as a force to be reckoned with for slightly more discerning listeners, who can appreciate a band that not only has strong hooks but also has the instrumental depth of expression to back it up and make it worthwhile. So no, it might not be a space rocket to the absolute fore-front of commercial relevance for these dudes, but it certainly is a striking punch to your palette that comes with enough of an intriguing aftertaste to lure you in for a second and third sip - and that's pretty good if you ask me.

Download: Reverie Shores, Moonlit Seabed, Great Man, Escape To Mysteriopa
For The Fans Of: Brigade, Exit Ten, Far, Midgar, VOLA
Listen: facebook.com/inmeofficial

Release Date 19.02.2012
Graphite Records / Northern Music