Colt 45 - Inside the Triangle Album Review
rating: 2.5
Colt 45's debut EP sounds exactly what you'd think a debut EP would sound like. Pretty okay. Here's three guys just getting started and I think they're off to a good one, but it's clear there's a lot of room for growth here.
The short 5 track album begins with an intro track, here "Think for Yourself...Question Authority", which I'm always a fan of. Anyone who can begin an album with random sounds, guitars building, people muttering things in the background about society, and then launch into a solidly heavy track immediately afterward is a-okay in my book.
Now, are the actual tracks themselves any good?
"Everybody Will Let You Down" is the standout and comes at the right point. This endears you to the band considering it's a fairly decent rock anthem and makes the rest of the EP a little better. But as far as quality goes, I think I'm a little blind sided by nostalgia more than anything else. This EP reminds me of the stuff I listened to in Junior High. That doesn't mean it's bad, it only means it's young. When I listen to these tracks I hear potential for this group, but nothing is leaping out at me as being, as of now, a big hit. In fact, at times, they remind me of a very young Rise Against and that's certainly something to be proud of. I remember Rise Against being just an okay group until they found their sound and launched into super stardom.
So structurally these tracks aren't much to write home about. The vocals are plain, the guitars are playing riffs you've heard a thousand times, and the drums are there to...be drums. There's nothing new or overly exciting about any of these tracks, but there's something about them that makes you hope they stick around, find out who they are, what their message is, and how to craft it musically to ensure they find a place in the future of rock.
"Happiness is a Dying Art" is a catchy, up-tempo song that really takes me back. When I said it reminds me of being in Junior High I wasn't kidding. I used to scour the internet for new or unknown bands and sign my soul away to them so I could feel like I was getting in at the beginning of something big. Most of those bands were just okay and most of them went nowhere, but they all had a similar sound and shared something really important, energy.
The pseudo-ballad-esque "I'm Drowning, Not Waving" is actually quite good because of its lyrics. I appreciate the sentiment of desperation they talk about and feeling like your going down despite the rest of the world thinking you're peachy. The closing "Brick Wall" rounds out the album in a slightly awkward way. It's another good, up-tempo head nodder but it would feel more appropriately placed earlier. I think given the emotional energy of "Drowning", that would make the more appropriate closer, especially for a debut EP. But that's neither here nor there. Track placement is a personal pet peeve.
I think, because they're new and it's clear they have something to say (but are still learning how to say it properly), Colt 45's debut is what it is. Decent. But because of this youth and this energy there's a feeling you get while listening to the tracks that, whoever these guys are you really hope they make it. They have a future and luckily this is only the beginning. Considering that, it's not a bad place to start.
Inside the Triangle is available now.