I’m not one for judging a band without giving them a fair chance, but from just listening to lead single ‘Anna Sun’, I can’t help but do just that. It’s an upbeat, catchy and danceable indie-pop song, named as the song of the summer by MTV, but it does seem a bit… 2007.
This is what I imagine One Night Only to sound like nowadays. There’s no problem with this, I mean, it’s probably really popular with 14 year old girls, but I can’t help but find it tedious when bands make music which has already been made. The Ohio four-piece have previously supported Panic! At The Disco and Grouplove, and are soon to accompany fun. on their European tour which proves my point entirely; they are nothing new.
‘Tightrope’ has a buoyant chorus but the lyrics are uninspiring, displayed by the fact that the band sing “oh” over 50 times in just 3 and a half minutes. ‘Jenny’ – which sounds a bit like an early Maroon 5 album track – has some more imaginative songwriting, with comical lines such as “You got curves like the ocean / gonna take it in slow motion,” but this is counteracted by the chorus which rhymes “hourglass” with itself. Tracks like ‘I Can Lift A Car’ and ‘Next In Line’ are piled high with synths and further cringeworthy lyrics that are uttered repeatedly such as “My eyes are on the road / but my mind is on your body” and “I won’t lose it, I won’t lose it, I won’t lose it, I won’t lose it, I won’t lose it.”
‘Iscariot’ which appears towards the end of the record is a moment of shining glory. Stripped down to their bare bones, this melancholic ballad is a 180-turnaround from the generic indie-pop which fills the residuum of the record. The track builds from a capella vocals, to reflective vocal harmonies, only to be joined by emotive piano chords and soft percussion.
It’s all quite pleasant and safe, meaning it’ll make great advert music, but it also means it’s not something I would go and listen to again. Songs come and go with their cheery, bouncy melodies but have no real effect. Their songwriting is basic but some lyrical gems make it something that you can laugh along with, and will make any listener feel good. However, a few listens and it really starts to become dull. Maybe these songs would survive 5 or 6 songs on a summer playlist, but by then they would be thoroughly inanimate and this collection would be given the chop.
5/10
This self titled album will be released in the UK on October 8th and Walk The Moon will support fun. on their European tour when it hits London on October 2nd.
