FALTERED

Faltered are described in press blurb as an alternative duo from North Wales. 'Fortune Favours', their latest EP, is, apparently, "the perfect soundtrack for the Summer". The former statement is undoubtedly a fact while the latter will only prove true if your aim is to ruin your summer by listening to utter bilge such as this. Constituted by two brothers, Daniel (guitars, vocals) and Conor Cahalane (drums, percussion, lead vocals), Faltered, I'm informed by the press release, love alternative and post-hardcore bands. That's nice, good for them. I also enjoy some alternative and post-hardcore bands (as much as I hate the latter as a genre label). However, admiration can be severely misplaced in action without the musical skills to back up your passion and it is here that Faltered have... well, faltered. Tracks sound like a mish-mash of unrelated ideas incongruously thrown together to loosely form what they evidently consider 'songs'. Diversity and progression are two qualities I admire in music but, here, there's a discernible lack of cohesion between all the different parts and, at times, it comes across as if the duo are trying to be different just for the sake of. Their attempt at creating music is certainly progressing nothing despite their self-proclaimed 'alternative' proclivities and any allusions to diversify their soundscape have resulted in an aural implosion. There's a nice balance of light and shade as tracks shift between the mellow and the heavy, and occasional passages, in isolation, are not too bad, although each of the seven pieces ultimately have little direction, purpose or reason to even exist. Why Faltered were content to inflict this unmitigated mess of an EP on the general public is inexplicable. And I haven't even mentioned the 'vocals' yet. It's the vocals that truly sink an already drowning EP. Tonally all over the place, any attempts at melody lines fall flat (literally... and sharp) and render the entire thing unlistenable. It's genuinely shocking that the Cahalane brothers are happy for this to be released with such a vocally talentless performance. It really is that bad. Occasionally, the right notes might be hit but this is purely random and achieved only through the law of averages. Faltered this duo most certainly have with this inexcusably shit record and fortune definitely didn't favour them while making it. Scarily, they've assembled a live lineup to take this drivel to live stages around the UK. If that live lineup doesn't feature either of the Cahalanes and they re-write just about every bar of music then they might just be worth checking out. Otherwise, please avoid 'Fortune Favours' as this is the sonic equivalent of putrefying excrement.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Self-released

EP

FORTUNE FAVOURS

Review by Mark Holmes

RUNNING TIME:

25:11

RELEASE DATE:

2nd Sept 2013

TRACK LISTING

1) Leave It Out
2) Fortune Favours the Needy
3) Worth the Wait
4) Pulled Over
5) Please Don't Take This the Wrong Way
6) If This is a Joke
7) Thanks a Million

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

UK

"...the sonic equivalent of putrefying excrement."