aaamusic | On 04, Oct 2010

In Gratitude are part of the new wave of jangling, vaguely electronic rock outfits that are arriving on the UK music scene. Comprising of drums, keyboards and guitars alongside heavily processed vocals, they provide a hopeful, slightly naïve take on indie rock tropes with their latest release ‘Only In Youth’.

Opening track ‘Prosperity’ fades into being with a midtempo drone and stomping drumkit before the effects-heavy vocals kick in with a sound somewhere between indie rock and robot, not only androgynous but almost completely featureless. Similarly, the musicianship is oddly flat. Despite the obvious pop hooks, there’s nothing particularly exciting or charming about this song, and so even amid the whirling rock-out with its tremolo guitar and claustrophobic keyboards, I’m not feeling too enticed. ‘Moving On’ is pretty similar, feeling like a more electronic Bloc Party remix with some hurtling and occasionally arrhythmic drums and a jump-around bent to the overall feel. The bassline is tantalising and the surreal disco-tinged guitar riffs feel like they should charm, and the echoing raved-up keyboard tinkling wants to draw me in, but the whole thing feels somewhat flat. The generic teen angst lyricism does little to alleviate the situation as the vocals feel too sterile to be truly effective whereas the music doesn’t feel incredible enough to draw attention and make the song truly enjoyable. However, in contrast ‘In All Dishonesty’ proves to be the closest thing to a standout track. The pop hooks are straight and to-the-point, and the pacing between melody and sparse effects-laden notes is much more well-handled, neither outstaying its welcome as the jangling melodies bleed into sharp rhythms to create a solid and admittedly somewhat enjoyable cut of alt-pop tune that even manages to reconcile the cloying keyboards with edgy guitars and a voice that pleads for a more minimal environment, even if the scream section feels underwhelming and unnecessary. Of course, this is the track given a largely excessive rave remix where all possible vestiges of humanity and charm have been replaced by nauseating autotune.

‘Always’ tries to inject some acoustic charm and tenderness alongside synthesised handclaps and echo-drenched vocals. Somewhere between an indie pop club night and sensitive balladry this song lingers in indecision. It is clearly at heart a tender call-out, with the singing occasionally reaching chilling levels of clinical emotion, and the combination of lilting piano and crooning acoustic melodies underneath the electro trappings are occasionally effective, yet the repetitive dance loop nature of the structure becomes annoying, and it is hard for such a robotic band to truly emote, so the end result is somewhat alienating. The other acoustic-driven track, ‘Delirious’, once again brimming with Bloc Party influences and more than a hint of the indie-folk zeitgeist in ethereal tones and “raw” strummed guitars in a blissful melancholy atmosphere. /however, cynicism aside this is probably the second-strongest track with a much more collected feel and even some moments of intrigue. However, In Gratitude’s habit of running things from catchy to sheer repetitiveness strikes once more as they drive a good chorus to the point of drudgery.

There are moments of charm and intrigue on offer in ‘Only In Youth’, but I am struggling to find them amongst what is yet another derivative zeitgeisty collection of bland and slightly annoying tracks. Perhaps if electronically-decorated indie pop rock is your thing you might find something to like here, but I am hard pressed to cobble together more than five minutes of enjoyable material from six fairly substantial tracks without feeling incredibly frustrated.

Author: Katie H-Halinski