Not Above Average
After a well received debut on Ferret Music, Funeral For A Friend have come at us with a major label album entitled Hours. Unfortunately, signing to Atlantic hasn’t done much to improve their rehashed style of emo.While Funeral For A Friend doesn’t necessarily do anything wrong, each track is lacking in overall creativity and intensity. Whereas their previous album had forceful tracks such as “Bullet Theory,” Hours seems content to keep at a level that doesn’t deviate much or give the listener anything to be excited about.
Despite the fact that stylistically Funeral For A Friend fits well with bands such as The Juliana Theory, Emery, and Cardia, these other bands push this style of music better. FFAF rehashes a number of tracks that get lost in their similarity. This is re noticeable during the slower tracks, such as “Hospitality” and “Drive.” The final song, “Sonny,” sounds like a rip-off of Underoath, sans screaming.
Hours isn’t terrible, one thing that can be said for it is that it’s solid. The boys from England do a good job of playing a very American style of indie rock, through their instrumentation, as well as Matt Davies’ heartfelt vocals. “The End of Nothing” tries to capture the power of their last album, with crunching guitars and heavy breakdowns, but this overall this song sticks out like a sore thumb amid ballads and much poppier efforts.
If FFAF’s debut brought a smile to your face, then by all means get this album. If the last album didn’t float your boat, then skip this one as well.
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