Band: Failsafe
Album: Routines
Release date: May 2012
Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: Small Town Records/Fond of Life
With Summer rapidly approaching, Failsafe release their third album ‘Routines’, a strong addition to anyone’s ‘Festival Season’ playlist. Having previously performed on the 3rd series of the TV show ‘The Inbetweeners’, recorded a live session at Maida Vale for the BBC, and played the highly prestigious South by Southwest Festival in Texas, the Northwest band are looking to build on their growing reputation with this third album.
Failsafe are 5 talented friends from Preston (Lancashire). Their music incorporates a variety of pop-punk and alternative rock elements, with heartfelt, catchy vocals that echo peers such as Hundred Reasons and Idlewild. Across ten tracks in just over forty minutes, their syncopated guitars, upbeat, energetic drumming and soaring choruses provides a very satisfying experience.
Failsafe clearly enjoy the songs they create and their complimentary songwriting ability reflects this. The powerful 1-2 punch of opener ‘The Persistence Of Memory’ and title track – the excellent (and vicious) ‘Routines’ – quickly draw you in with the urgency of both the music and lyrics.
Later tracks such as ‘Sleepwalkers’ & ‘Something to Someone’ build a layered intensity, and stand out as well crafted alternatives to the tried and tested ‘Loud-Quiet-Loud’ formula prevalent in most rock bands. The pace rarely drops, although final track ‘Worth the Wait’ provides a lighter tone to close the album nicely.
An air of melancholy is threaded through most songs, for those who seek it, but the true strength of Failsafe is in their highly acclaimed live performances, and every song on ‘Routines’ contains anthemic moments or choruses that guarantee loyal fans will sing-along to them.
Above all else, there is an honesty to the music, the boys sound like they believe in their songs and if their live performances convey the heartfelt nature of these tracks, Failsafe will continue to grow in popularity in 2012 and beyond.
4/5
Tobias Gray
| Small Town Records (UK) Fond Of Life (Europe) |
Valkyrian Music 