A four
piece melodic Punk Rock band from North London, Stay Free recorded this self-released debut EP with Johnny A Carter and Paul Yeadon, who have worked with the likes of Bring Me The Horizon and The
Plight. Stay Free has promised ‘Black to Grey’ will be available for a
free download very soon.
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| 'Black To Grey': Artwork |
As rhythmic
and melodic as early Foo Fighters
tracks, ‘Dambusters’ really conveys
the vocalist’s Lincolnshire roots, giving the band some authenticity. Although
the instrumentation is interesting and effective, the lyrics fail to amaze or
nab any kind of emotional connection. Vocally, the track depicts the rawness of
the Stay Free, and ‘War’ sparks a similarity to 30 Seconds to Mars, with a more
approachable Northern twang; ‘We’ll be judged by the sins of our fathers!’ For
such an organic band, Stay Free is
very assertive in terms of sound and style, although their work can come across
as somewhat repetitive.
With a
little funding, professional production and pin-pointed identity, the band
really does have some potential, as they have the perfect balance of
inspiration from other bands, and their own sound. ‘Heathens’ illustrates some hard hitting guitaring and welcomed
songwriting variety. Title track ‘Black to
Grey’ is a let-down vocally-speaking, as the attempt at spoken and gang
vocals, as well as harmonies and different voice layers do not quite work as
not all voices involved are hard-hitting or melodic enough.
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| Stay Free |
It is
unfortunate that Stay Free have not
had any professional input into their debut as there are some elements of ‘Black to Grey’ is made up of some
authentic elements. Yet at times, the band are let down by ineffective vocals,
so-so lyrics and repetitive at times.
2/5
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