Reviewed By Steve Thompson
She Wants Revenge: Hot Topic poster band or respectful revival of Joy Division/New Order stylings? One can only wonder. Truly, these questions were to be determined by the follow-up to the band’s 2006 self-titled debut. The new-school hipsters called them Interpol rip-offs and the old-school purists looked at them as seemingly more fodder to be blown away by squadrons of pre-teen girls looking to be dark and goth. Regardless, this record offers thirteen brand new tracks meerly a year after the band’s debut and, also, a second glance at what this band may truly be.
First, Love – the first track on the new She Wants Revenge album reminds me a lot of Condemnation by Depeche Mode from Songs of Faith and Devotion. I really think this instrumental is a strong opener with its haunting piano and steady onslaught of rhythm.
The second track of the record is called Written In Blood. The introduction and beat reminds me a lot of Joy Division and, not to mention, the material from the self-titled She Wants Revenge record. I dig the verses a lot (though they deal with the stand She Wants Revenge themes), but the chorus lacks a hook to me. This is disappointing considering the quality of the verses. Overall, it’s not a bad track and, in all fairness, it’s probably quite a grower.
The third track on This Is Forever is called Walking Away. The usual beat starts us off – these guys really know how to get the groove down in their music. The chorus in this song has a much catchier hook than the last track and seems “single-worthy.” Again, listeners won’t be surprised by the thematic elements of this track. It’s a She Wants Revenge song about lost love and yadda, yadda, yadda. The synth bridge in this song is pretty haunting with some gentle piano making a brief appearance (those there are some random notes hit throughout the song, this is a stand out little moment for one of the few non-electronic instruments this band employs). The song’s ending also has some nice mellow piano after the chaos of the electronics dies down.
The first single from this record (and fourth track) is True Romance. Again, with this song, the guys solidify a groove in your mind with some nice beats starting things off along side a creepy synthesizer. This isn’t Tear You Apart… it’s not as dark, but it is as scary. This was probably a good choice for an initial radio offering (though I don’t know how much you hear them on the radio). This is a catchy, dark, ghostly dance number and I think I’m slowly getting addicted to it.
What I Want is another track I can get into from the get go. My only complaint in the verse is how disjointed and non-dance-like the bass feels compared to the beat and reverb-y guitar. The chorus is heavy and unrelentless though brief. I like the direct, stinging lyrics, but they’re nothing fresh and new. This band does anti-love songs and they do them well!
It’s Just Begun – not the record, but the sixth track. That’s its name. This track has an acoustic guitar and piano on it – also the obligatory dance beat. This track is laid-back. I can’t say it’s a bad song, but it’s not a stand-out to me.
She Will Always Be A Broken Girl is the next track. Maybe it’s the musician in me – but the melodies for vocals in this song seem VERY similar to These Things from their first record. It’s a synth-y catchy song, but also not a stand-out track the first time through. The finale of this track is pretty cool though, I must say.
This Is The End is the album’s eighth track. The guitar on this track has some crazy reverb/delay type stuff going on and I love the way the drums are mixed. They remind me a lot of Echo & the Bunnymen. I think the guitar does too. Trite lyrics as usual though it’s still a track that’ll get you rompin’ around the room.
Checking Out is the next track on This Is Forever. The thumping bass is really infectious and THEN it just kind of goes too low in the mix making the way for some generic synthesizers. While the verse takes a while to build itself up to speed, the chorus of the song… is missing. Maybe it’s just me, but there’s no chorus in this song – the droning verse just goes into a slightly different melody and keeps you bored for the entire six minutes this song almost lasts. The bass-driven bridge is one of this song’s only redeeming factors.
Pretend the World Has Ended is a very 80s song in terms of production. It seems to see the band breaking out of their usual lyrical vein which I can appreciate. I like the lush synth arrangements and steady beat. This track isn’t a stand-out track, but it’s one that seems like it could do a whole lot of growing in a very short time like many of their songs can.
Replacement seems like another single-worthy track with some light synth and guitar in the beginning. The chorus is catchy and sweeping with several synths, bass, and guitar overlapping one another nicely. I think all-in-all this is one of my favorite songs on the record though there’s not much to write about it.
All Those Moments has some quality synth parts going over one another at the beginning and this pleases me. It serves as the album’s second instrumental and is definitely the best instrumental, in my opinion, the band has done to date. Simple, but well-done.
Finally, the track Rachael closes out the sophomore effort of She Wants Revenge. This song has your usual krautrock-esque beat with some overlapping synthesizers for starters. It’s got a pretty solid hook in the chorus and I can definitely see it being a strong closer at live shows for the band. As for closing the album, it is good, but I’m not so sure it would have been the best decision for a closer. Abruptly, the song cuts off at the end leaving you feeling like you wish there was more.
Ok, so overall – do things add up? Is this band the real deal or just some knock-off capitalizing on synth-pop and post-punk sounds for the money? I can’t answer that – are you crazy? Look, it’s not my place to judge that sort of thing, but to look at albums. From what I can tell, this is a solid album. Better than their debut? Hard to tell from early listens, but it’s solid. If nothing else, look at this way. Most bands take years off between records. She Wants Revenge have released two solid albums within a less-than-two-year time span. It may not be perfect, but it’s pretty darn good.
Rating for This Is Forever: 4/5
