Walk Off The Earth - R.E.V.O
Artist - Walk Off The Earth
Album - R.E.V.O
Label - Columbia Records
OUT NOW
Rating - 3/5
Walk Off The Earth flew to prominence with their innovative cover of last year’s smash song ‘Somebody I Used To Know’ and finally got the Canadian indie band the studio deal their previous two albums quite hadn’t been able to do.
Their third album R.E.V.O is the result (the title stands for the band’s motto “Realize Every Victory Outright”) and it shows that it might have taken a bolt of lightning to get them the attention, but Walk Off The Earth definitely deserve it.
Their mix of energetic vocals and sweet harmonies all being backed up by twanging ukuleles and jangling guitars makes the whole album have a wonderfully carefree atmosphere. Don’t mistake this for simplicity though, as these tracks are as instrumentally complex as any other pop out there, with quirky and inventive arrangements throughout the course of the album.
This is definitely a band up for some experimentation, as they flit between different sounds, vocalists and instruments as if they were choosing what breakfast cereal to have in the morning.
The big trouble is that with this decision though is that this very much feels like a collection of ditties rather than a complete cohesive album. This won’t be a massive issue for some, but it leaves you scratching your head to what the band’s natural sound actually is. Apart from rap, perhaps they should never go back to that world after ‘Sometimes’.
Hopefully the band will find more of an identity of their own in the near future, as at the moment, this feels like there are a few too many cooks in the kitchen deciding what dish to make next.
Despite the faults, Walk Off The Earth’s debut studio album is a whole bunch of fun that should do you just right for a casual sun-soaked summer cruise along the ocean. Or at least make the morning commute feel a whole bunch more like a Californian road trip, which is never a bad thing.
Walk Off The Earth – R.E.V.O is out now.