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Boston Manor

Glue

Written by: PP on 26/12/2020 15:09:58

For their third full-length album "Glue", Boston Manor leaves behind all hints of pop punk and emo, focusing entirely on a loud, abrasive alternative rock style that ranges from Filter-style melodies to raw, industrial metal-esque pummeling. It's quite a radical stylistic change for the band, and not necessarily one that's for the better.

Take "1's & 0's", for instance. This is a full-blown metallic post-hardcore piece characterized by screamed, distorted vocals, and a chaotic vibe overall. It's unnerving, aggressive, and unnecessarily loud, especially if you compare it to the magnificent "Plasticine Dreams", which is where the banner channels their inner Filter inspiration. It's a smooth-sailing alternative rock song with a dreamy, experimental vibe, with clean vocals that take you on a nostalgia-driven trip down towards early Incubus records.

Later, the band channel vibes of grunge from the dreamy post-hardcore crowd of the likes of Daylight, Title Fight, Balance And Composure et al, before "Terrible Love" loads out an expansive pop/alternative rock atmosphere that feels heavy and down-trodden simultaneously. The chorus here highlights the great vocal range of singer Henry Cox as he sounds like a theatrical pop singer, nicely helped by electronic effects in the process. Almost a polar opposite to that then is "On A High Ledge", an atmospheric, but industrial track with its echoing percussing and overall crushing vibes that you might find on a late 90s alternative rock/metal record.

Confused yet? That's because "Glue" swings from one genre to another in constant fashion throughout the record. You have "Monolith" that's essentially a hardcore cut, vs. the 90s style alt-rock of "Ratking" vs the larger-than-life dreamy melodies of "Playing God". It's a dark album that has its great moments but feels simultaneously like a derivative throwback to a bygone era. Too inconsistent to warrant a higher rating.

Download: Plasticine Dreams, Only1, Terrible Love, Playing God
For the fans of: Filter, Citizen, Stabbing Westward, Nine Inch Nails
Listen: Facebook

Release date 01.05.2020
Pure Noise Records