Title: Temple of Plenty
Format Reviewed: MP3
Format Released: 25th March 2014
Reviewed By: James Reeve
Before exclaiming how much I enjoyed this record, I want to thank the Carolina-based indie record label, Tiny Engines. They've been explicitly brilliant in some of their recent releases, one of which I recently reviewed and haven't been able to stop myself from listening to (which easily brightens up my 'wonderful' morning commute), and they have made another excellent choice in Somos' Temple of Plenty. Simply put, this is good, solid indie pop-punk. Anyone who considers themselves a fan of the likes of The Menzingers, Everything Everywhere, and Polar Bear Club, needs to get with the current times and listen to the four-piece from Boston's debut LP.
Starting with Familiar Theme, I can happily say that it's the perfect opener. On first listen, I genuinely thought I'd been sent over new Menzingers material (a band that, if you had no idea, I personally consider to be utterly outstanding). By mixing wonderful melodies throughout, and yet adding that crunch to the chorus, it truly stands out as an incredible beginning, and it only gets better from there.
Domestic is where the pace picks up slightly, adding that eagerly awaited aggressiveness you'd expect. What this song genuinely showed me, and what makes me consider it to be a good record compared to other current releases, is just how exceptional Michael Fiorentino's voice truly is. Considering we live in the age where screaming appears to be the only way to represent any sort of emotion, it's nice to hear someone actually take the singing approach throughout. His voice is exceptional.
Third track Dead Wrong is where I started to find myself slightly head-banging in my chair. What really draws you in is just the mixture of everything Somos brings to the table. The brilliant and melodic guitar work of Phil Haggerty and Justin Hahn, the thrashing of the cymbals by Evan Deges, and the well written lyrics sung by Fiorentino. Lives of Others then proceeds to takes it up a notch, yet still keeping the flow going. Adding a dash of pop to their sound, this is something for everyone. I have to say, this is easily going to be the crowd pleaser of their set, and I imagine it to go down perfectly at any festival.
Unfortunately, it was around this, the half-way point, where I thought the record seemed to drag on slightly. Even though each track brings with it a relatively different sound, it all appears to follow a similar pattern. Songs such as When You Pass, Strangest Example and Lifeline are clearly well-written, each encompassing everything that you would expect to hear from a band that plays indie pop-punk, yet it all seems to feel slightly repetitive. This could, of course, also be seen as a positive.
Somos have clearly thought hard about how they wanted the record to sound, starting with an indie/pop-punk base and mixing it with aspects of rock, post-hardcore, and emo. In my opinion not many bands can actually pull it off as well as Somos have showed in this début, and it's something that is well represented in closing track Before You Merge, which is easily the song I'd use to sway people to listen to this bands.
Put simply; it's a good record. Each song brings something new to the table. Perfect melodies, consistently mixed with the aggressiveness that any fan wants to hear. I wouldn't refer to this as one that will make your desert island disc selection as there are times where it can slightly drag on, but on a whole it's something I'd 100% recommend to any fan of rock music. A good record, just unfortunately not a great one.
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