As December Falls – 'Happier' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. Afterglow

2. Over It

3. You Say When

4. I Don't Feel Like Feeling Great

5. Nothing On You

6. H.N.A.

7.Happier.

8. Tears

9. Fake Company

10. All Of This Is Over

11. One Last Song

I’ve always had a penchant for female fronted Pop/Punk/Rock, I think there is nothing better than a great female vocalist fronting driving drums, a thunderous baseline and screaming guitars. As December Falls are a new band for me, I didn’t know what to expect but the second the lead singers vocals kicked in I became interested.

They are very much on the punkier side of Pop, there are hints of Stand Atlantic, some Hands Off Gretel, an almost Evanescence like quality to some of their more grandiose songs, some sign of Avanae and, when they show off their ability to switch the song up and down, even a hint of the Go Go’s (there’s a blast from the past).

What is impressive is they have clearly focused on trying to have an emotional impact with their lyrics, it’s far too easy for bands in this space to just thrash seven shades of the brown stuff out of their instruments and just throw some banal lyrics over the top knowing that, if they are semi-decent they will gather a following. There is more ambition to this band, which is great to hear.

My favourite song, is not the obvious one, it’s 'Happier.' For me it showcases the vocals, the emotional impact this band are capable of and points them in a direction I hope they explore some more. However I think the standout song for many people will be 'Fake Company', it’s a quality piece of songwriting that deserves to reach a wider audience but it’s closely pushed by 'All Of This Is Over', a top notch explanation of the end of a relationship that could be a breakout out hit for them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this album, I suspect though that they are not quite at their peak yet which is why I didn’t give it Five out of Five, I think they are capable of more. It feels like they are still learning their craft. I think on songs like 'I Don’t Feel Like Feeling Great' they show signs of what they are going to be capable of, there is more control, more strength to their songwriting than is evident in other parts of this album, they trust themselves to be quiet, then loud and have more of an emotional impact as a result. That’s not to say there is a bad song on this album, there isn’t. It’s consistently strong. I just suspect that there is more to come. They have something that’s building, if they keep going as they are they could be real contenders.

They are heading out on tour later this year, I’m very tempted to invest in a ticket, it’s a while since I’ve been jumping up and down in one of the quality venues we luckily still have after the last 18 months. Give this a listen, it’s worth your time.