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Artist Vs Poet

Keep Your Secrets

Written by: PP on 12/02/2013 17:34:33

Back in 2010 it certainly looked like Artist Vs Poet were the new darlings of the polished pop punk scene, with a deal in the bag with Fearless Records and a power pop debut album that quickly gained the band popularity within the fans of the poppier realms of the genre. Then the band quickly experienced a revolving door effect in their lineup, losing their vocalist and other members in quick succession, and in the process were dropped by their record label. Things suddenly looked dark for the band. They've bounced back since then with guitarist Joe Kirkland assuming the vocal duties for their acoustic album "Remember This" last year, but this year's "Keep Your Secrets" is really the first time we get to hear him like he was meant to sound.

So how was he meant to sound then exactly? Apparently like a straight up clone of Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy. The title track, for instance, has him sounding identical to said man during the chorus, and in general, with all its high-end production value and pop elements, the song has much in common with both "Infinity On High", but especially with "Folie A Deux" eras from Fall Out Boy. Elsewhere, the band toy with pop rock in the vein of The Maine, with sexy vocal work that borrows heavily from pop singers to push the band even further away from their pop punk origins. Truth is, the majority of the eight tracks on "Keep Your Secrets" are more aligned to Hellogoodbye style power pop with a slightly effect-laden soundscape than with the bouncy rhythms of pop punk bands.

That's both a strength and a weakness. On one hand, this is clearly what Artist Vs Poet were designed for. Their interpretation of pop through an alt rock / pop punk style sheet can be quite enjoyable, as especially the opening two tracks of the record demonstrate. At the same time, it does mean their sound is quite shallow and transparent for the most part. Production is almost too glossy, and the songs predictable and unambitious. Standard pop rock fare comes to mind on more than a couple of occasions - especially halfway through the record and hereafter. They need more consistency for the higher grades.

Download: Ready To Roll, Keep Your Secrets
For the fans of: Fall Out Boy, Sing It Loud, The Maine, Hellogoodbye
Listen: Facebook

Release date 08.01.2013
Self-Released