IN PASSING “Look Alive”
In a fairly short period of time, Indianola Records has put out a good deal of records. One of those records that sort of flew under the radar is “Look Alive” by Florida/Pennsylvania’s in IN PASSING, which came out in April of this year. “Look Alive” is eleven songs deep of clever, technical indie rock that’s in the vein of COPELAND and early GET UP KIDS but with a little more of an edge. Nearly all of the songs move along at a good clip and feature some nifty guitar work that juggles between thick, heavy distorted grooves and beautiful, gentle clean parts. The lead vocals are 50/50 with this release – lead vocalist Wes Sumner isn’t necessarily a bad singer, but his style is more earnest than commanding, and thus, his voice sounds tiny in comparison to the rest of the band’s sound. On the other hand – there’s no awkward screaming parts that make me run for a barf bag. I can’t explain how much I appreciate a disc without screaming these days. One thing that sets IN PASSING apart from a lot of other indie rock bands is that the songs generally have a dark overtone to them (especially the fifth tune, “The Heart Is A Parasite”) – similar to the way that THURSDAY created such an atmosphere on “Full Collapse.” These songs, while catchy, are hardly something that you think of as a setting for a brisk spring day. “Look Alive” is a fair release, and while I doubt I’ll find myself rushing this disc onto the stereo any time soon, I look forward to where the band goes from here.
Indianola
