aaamusic | On 10, Apr 2011

It’s a shame that emotion can be so… insipid sometimes. There’s a refreshing purity of intent somewhere in The Bora’s debut three-track release ‘Midnight’, but it feels buried under a rather bog-standard musical approach.

Title track ‘Midnight’ has a poetic side to it, turning the humdrum subject of lovesick balladry into something oddly uplifting, buoyed up by a fluid energy in the fast-paced pop hooks and an assured vocal performance that is charmingly nasal and vulnerable, however the song itself feels like every other pop love song. I’m pretty sure that the melody has been recycled by Snow Patrol and Weezer alike. Yes, it settles on the heartstrings well, as does the soft middle eight and crooned backing vocals, but my hearstrings are well and truly coated in its residue by now. Likewise with the semi-acoustic jangled melodies of ‘This Time Yesterday’, a heart-on-sleeve ballad combining pop hook and strummed chords to create something that is screaming to be a beautiful – if guilty – pleasure for anyone with an emotional range, but the main body feels like songwriting by numbers: tender intro, verses and choruses, climactic guitar solo, quiet section, end.

‘Everything Around Me’ sprinkles some powerpop crunch into The Bora’s sound, more Weezer and OK Go than its predecessor, with a heavier guitar presence and some noticeable bass end underneath a crisp cymbal beat and bouncy stop-start pacing. The contrast of riffs with a treble-based pop approach is much more satisfying than the other, slightly limp tracks, but once again is dogged by a feeling of overfamiliarity.

In the end, this heartfelt and honest plea of the lovelorn heart, when treated so openly with a free-spirited indie-pop sensibility is like a glass of cool, sparkling water on a balmy sunny day. I can appreciate the narrative arc of the EP as it chronicles the trajectory of letting go of love, but it just doesn’t grab my interest. The formulaic chord progressions and cliché melodies, when combined with the familiar lyrical territory are like pouring the entire litre bottle of squash concentrate into the glass as well: yes, the purity and clarity is still there, but it’s lost in the sheer bulk of processed sugar.

Author: Katie H-Halinski