Solid but safe

Canadian indie rock band Tallies’ self-titled release is a good foundation for something better. The songs are catchy, anchored by strong vocal performances by lead singer Sarah Cogan, clean guitar hooks and an upbeat rhythm section. Yet it’s hard to listen to this record without feeling like something’s missing. The songs are mostly good, but they lack ambition. Tallies often stay inside the box, offering well-composed, tightly performed songs, but rarely more than that. What’s more frustrating is that it feels like the band is capable of reaching that next gear but never quite get there.

“Trouble” is a solid opening track, building up into a warm, echoing guitar riff and thick bass line which combine for a full sound. But after the intro, the song fails to really go anywhere else. Still, it settles into a relaxing dream-pop groove that is a natural fit for one of Spotify’s “Chill Indie” playlists.

The rhythm section moves to the forefront in “Mother,” carried by an up-tempo beat and prominent bass line. These combine nicely with a jangly guitar riff sporting a beautiful clean tone. Reverb and delay are used tastefully on this track and throughout the album, as guitar tone is one of the album’s most consistent strengths. The song has a catchy chorus that brings the intensity up a notch, but it still feels constrained, and the band never really exceeds this level of intensity for the rest of the album.

A lack of intensity isn’t the only problem. Lacking any truly interesting dynamics–key changes, breakdowns, variations in vocal style or melodic tonality–the songs begin to sound a bit generic midway through Tallies. None of this is to say that the band doesn’t effectively muster an ear-pleasing dream-pop sound, as they certainly do.

Tallies’ self-titled record is a solid foundation on which they can develop. It is apparent the group is talented, and they have a strong grasp on how to write effective dream-pop songs. But hopefully on their next record Tallies dare to be bolder and try to implement some dynamic wrinkles alongside their lush, dreamy sound.