Photograph by Jay Dawson / Shutter Productions
'Forget to Love' is the latest release from North East group St Buryan. After taking a break in 2015, the band reformed last year and have had a whirlwind 12 months, releasing two other tracks 'Everything I said' and 'Lucid' and headlining a sold out gig at Jumpin' Jacks.
The highlight of the track is the ambient introduction. Ethereal synth is coupled with a peppy guitar riff, before welcoming lilting vocals, creating a chilled daydream sound.
The upbeat melodies have definitely been influenced pop-punk , but unlike the majority of pop-punk, the lyrics aren't cheesy or cringy, so the track is actually tolerable. I wouldn't go as far as saying that the band have a lyrical flair, as some of the lines are a bit cliché, but they're inoffensive and carry the catchy melodies well.
Front man Ben Mackett's vocals are tuneful and have an happy-go-lucky vibe to them. However, occasionally his voice adopts an American tone, potentially due to the pop-punk influence, which slightly cheapens their sound.
Front man Ben Mackett's vocals are tuneful and have an happy-go-lucky vibe to them. However, occasionally his voice adopts an American tone, potentially due to the pop-punk influence, which slightly cheapens their sound.
There's nothing necessarily wrong with the track, but it's not quite hitting the mark for me. Their sound is a little clumsy and confused. They either have to go indie, and add stronger bass lines to elevate their sound, or go pop-punk and more upbeat.
Overall, it's an easy listen that I'm sure will get crowds moving. However, the direction the band have gone in is a bit blasè. The synth-fuelled introduction radiates a much more engaging, interesting vibe and I feel as though this would be a better sound for the group. They're clearly capable of producing music like that, and it has a lot more scope to do something original with.
That being said, it's a decent enough track and I'm sure after a few pints I'd be more than happy to sing and dance along to it.
UPCOMING GIGS
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