Push to Talk create a massive wall of melodic, emotionally tinged indie-rock; a unique prospect by all definitions and prerequisites that creating such music should entail. It’s a blend of unique and seemingly forgotten qualities which contribute to making this; their debut album; such a compelling listen.
It’s not just in a different sound that this is so triumphant, front man James Leste brings a finely tuned song writing craft and the amalgamation of all the influences of he and his band mates combine superbly into the well crafted sound exerted here. The band is completed by guitarist Peter Sulivan, Nate Higley on bass, Brett Wittman on keys and drummer Adam Elliott.
Over the span of the 13-tracks on the album; the band explore so much both musically and lyrically; the exuberance and brilliance of the sound cannot quite hide the sincere honesty of Leste; who in parts sounds so doubt-ridden and down as to almost hide the shrill punch offered by the keys throughout. This is music with real emotion and though well short of being labelled ‘emo’, they display the determination and conviction which could easily brand this album as essential listening.
Initially this record is a typical indie record; it is in fact a total anti-thesis of what in the UK is a hugely overpopulated and typically over-hyped genre. Historically; the US hasn’t ever had an abundance of famous bands in this genre, or certainly not bands that have transcended the trans-Atlantic market; and those who have are usually a little more commercially appealing to the masses.
Where Push to Talk display their greatest strength is in the memorable hooks, the verses are cleverly crafted and to top off the choruses are usually instantly addictive, the keys and chiming guitar often combining to create a euphoric and uplifting sound. ‘Haunting 56th St’ is the slightly off-beat opener which confirms this trait instantly in the chorus; haunting is an apt name for this song, the vocals are distant and haunting, but no less brilliant than they ought to be. Also, the guitar effects add to the eerie nature of the sound. Things don’t really take off until ‘Walk It Off’ has kicked in, the guitar trickery descends into a quiet verse, where everything builds back up to a lush chorus, Leste probably not having to work his voice too hard to reach some of the glorious highs.
As this fades out, ‘Problems’ explores the meaning of the word diversity; we’re stepping on further ground from the typical British indie sound that could easily label this band. A criminally simple and catchy hook in ‘Lose My Head’ makes it a must hear, the vocals never really take off in this song but there’s enough dynamic going on to really give the album a punch. ‘Rock & Roll Will Never Save Your Soul’ is epic and contemplative, only let down by the fact that it threatens to turn into ‘Walk It Off’ initially, but salvaged just when the chord progression is going in the exact same direction. It’s easy to underestimate but be it at your peril, not many bands make debut albums worthy of such plaudits.
Bass-heavy ‘Give Up’ is a ballad of the best sorts; in a similar vein to ‘Run’ by Snow Patrol and so many Coldplay songs, it’s the sort of sad song that puts a smile on your face. ‘Yes Takes A No’ is almost an enigma, the intro and first verse threaten to explode into a massive crescendo which could easily include all sorts of far fetched vocals, just as the drum beat suggests that’s coming next, the sweetest chords come in and a totally different chorus kicks in. The keys reintroduce the sound that is firmly this band’s own on ‘Talk is Cheap’
‘How’d You Get To Be That Way’ offers a different direction once more, but similar to ‘Yes Takes A No’ the chorus brings in a totally different take and it lands with feet firmly planted on solid and familiar ground. By now it’s hard to fathom these tracks are the same band as at the start of the album, Leste’s heavily echoing vocals do confirm that it is, but for whatever else it’s worth, Push to Talk cover more musical ground and diversity here within 47 minutes than most bands do in a career.
It would be unfair to say this is a record that fizzles out, the vocals and the implications of every little sound are as crucial and compelling right at the end as they were at the beginning, the entire listen is a totally infatuating experience. But saying that, the closing songs to close everything up nicely, there is little new to report, ‘Take It Slow’ is epic and brilliant, where offbeat and amazing finisher ‘When You Return’ is a totally unrivalled track by the standards already set, it’s probably the best place to throw in the most experimental track, as in a make or break moment, truly it has completed the experience without equal; where ‘Take It Slow’ would’ve served as a closing, as seems to be custom for Push to Talk they’ve gone with the unpredictable and topped things off with a grandeur that the rest of the tracks would suggest hard to achieve; above and beyond those, that is.
In truth, the whole album is oozing with grandeur and a polish that’s truly mesmerising, as the final track fades out it’s immediately clear that ‘Push to Talk’ have taken so many elements and created a sound, rather than copied one. A host of bands can be likened to them throughout the tracks, but the overall feeling is of originality and something special, roll on album number two.
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