Let Me In - The Bag CD Album Review
Let Me In have been nice enough to ask us to let them in, so we have.
Let Me In have been nice enough to ask us to let them in, so we have. And a nice enough visit it was. With The Bag we have Italian pop punkers debut album, having previously self-released and self-produced EPs (The Daydream EP in 2006 and Liesbook in2009). The album following in the footsteps of the EPs is another done-it-themselves release, entirely off their own backs; no record deal, no distribution, no booking. Which is commendable, and possibly the way forward in certain respects these days, though of course the big record labels will always have a certain all conquering quality, no matter how clueless they may be these days. The album itself is available entirely from http://letmeinthebag.tumblr.com/ which shows that these Italians are just happy enough to be getting their music out there and playing it, which is an admirable quality in itself and shows some passion on their part. If you like your punk poppy, then chances are youll find something you enjoy on this album, like opening song B.L.S. Basic Life Support has all the characteristics of a pop punk song of the now, driving guitars, a genuinely catchy chorus and some slowed sections, showing the influence of early Alkaline Trio minus the dark heart, New Found Glory and the likes of Yellowcard. There are some genuinely enjoyable moments on the album and some catchy melodies on display. The main issue though is that these songs arent really their own, sure, they may have written themselves but the influences are so clearly seen in the riffs, the chord progressions and what have you, so much so that you cant help but hear them when you listen, and think you know what, I might listen to some Blink 182/NOFX/Offspring/Green Day/insert others here. http://youtu.be/c8SlocduZ-0 This is not to take away from the clear knack for a catchy little hook that these guys have, and a real energetic passion to the songs theyre playing, its just at the moment its a little too derivative. Though there are moments on here when they stretch out the sound out a bit and find some interesting ideas, usually where they combine a couple of their influences in a different way. Though, the potential is there, because as I say, there are some really catchy little hooks and melodies in here that are entirely theyre own. So with a little bit of focussing in on that and moving away from their influences, Let Me In could be a great little punk band, because the production is great and the passion is clearly there. Just requiring a little more originality. That said, the album is free to download, it boasts 14 tracks and theyre not blink your ears and youll miss it song lengths either. So if this is your thing, youll find something you like here.