The Feeling have moved a bit further away from their guitar-based pop roots with new album Together We Were Made. The album contains some absolute pop gems, although a few songs are over-produced and out of place. It starts off strongly enough with the catchy indie/electro/pop ‘Set My World On Fire’, kicking off the album in an inconsistent way. That’s not to say it’s a poor album, it just doesn’t start off particularly solid or engaging. Tracks like ‘Dance For The Lights’ are catchy and funky enough to make an impact in the charts, but don’t feel special or exciting. That said, ‘Another Solider’ and ‘A Hundred Sinners (Come And Get It)’ shine as ambitious and well-produced tracks that allow the instrumental talent to be clear. The latter is one of the strongest songs on Together We Were Made, with a toe-tapping piano beat and an almost Queen-like harmonic breakdown. It’s one of the best tracks The Feeling have recorded, and should definitely be a single if the album is hoped to make an impact. It’s a shame it feels over-produced at times, with the band working with The Freemasons to produce this record. Sadly, one of these sometimes dull songs is a duet with Sophie Ellis-Bextor. It does build to a catchy, big crescendo, but just takes a little too long to move out of first gear. It’s not until this song (seven tracks in) that the album really finds itself in terms of style and production. Here, Together We Were Made begins to become a much more enjoyable listen, continuing strongly with another piano-led song in ‘Mr Grin’. It’s still catchy, but has enough swagger to be taken seriously. It seems that this album can really be defined as one of two halves. The first has some decent songs, but is hampered by some over-produced electro-pop. The final six or seven songs, meanwhile, are exciting and emotional, showing some admirable depth. ‘Another Life’ is an absolutely delightful pop track that could be a huge hit and live favourite. The percussion almost seems to be produced not as well as on the other tracks, which is actually endearing on this charming song. The album ends on a good note with ‘Undeniable’ (leave it playing for a nice surprise), but ‘Say No’ is the song that leaves the best impression. It’s a fairly simple, by-the-numbers ballad but it’s just one of those songs that feels special. It’s catchy enough to be a moderate hit, but works brilliantly here in the album. The guitar solo half way through isn’t particularly intricate or long, but it does make the track seem bigger and more epic. The Feeling may find some success with Together We Were Made, with enough diversity to please their fans. Whilst the electro-influenced pop is a low point, those songs aren’t enough to drag the album down too much. Together We Were Made is helped by seven great songs that make up the remainder of this surprisingly solid album. Female First - Alistair McGeorge
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