ALBUM REVIEW: Bittersweet – Those Without
Sweden’s THOSE WITHOUT embrace the heart and energy of pop-punk bands like NECK DEEP and TRASH BOAT on their debut album Bittersweet. Having charted at the top of Spotify playlists “Pop Punk’s Not Dead” and “New Punk Tracks” with the release of their 2020 debut EP, Neon Minds, and with a fair few eyes in the press on them already, goodness knows what the success will be like with their debut album.
Bittersweet starts off with Happy Ever Disaster, a high-energy song which sounds very similar to AS IT IS. Unfortunately, this likeness does not help the band in an already crowded market. Pink Alligator is a peculiar hybrid between a post-hardcore song and a pop-punk song, creating an identity crisis within itself and also on the album. This is to be expected as most bands are still figuring out their sound on their debut album.
However, it makes the album feel disjointed, which in turn makes things feel rushed and unfinished. Thankfully, the album picks up a little bit on fourth track Weightless. This one’s a fun and carefree song with depressing lyrics about how the narrator feels ‘weightless’. But the album is only ten songs long, which means the halfway mark is in sight, and proceedings so far have been underwhelming.
Good Thyme sounds like it is just going through the motions. Ditto for Oblivious. There is the obligatory acoustic track (Cleopatra), which details the end of the world. However, the issue with Bittersweet is that it is not unique. Obviously, not all albums have to be a magnum opus, however shaking up the genre a bit would be quite nice. Otherwise, THOSE WITHOUT will be just another pop-punk act.
Under The Weather shakes things up a bit. The heavy instrumental introduction catches the audience’s attention, and the song itself sounds like an ARCHITECTS song, albeit a softer one. It’s a good way to differentiate THOSE WITHOUT from other bands. A Name For Myself is an upbeat rock song that is sure to get the crowds going when played live. Webspinner is the closing song, and it’s unfortunately a middle-of the-road pop-punk song. This is a shame as it felt like the album was finally finding its footing only to trip and fall back down again.
In conclusion, despite some bright moments, Bittersweet is just that: bittersweet. THOSE WITHOUT have a lot of talent, and this album is well produced. However, the band easily fall into the trappings of the genre, churning out sluggish, middle-of-the-road songs that seem to merge into one another. On the other hand, when THOSE WITHOUT let loose and enjoy themselves, the songs are brilliant and show their talent. It’s just a shame that these moments are buried underneath all the mediocrity.
Rating: 4/10
Bittersweet is set for release on September 24th via self-release.
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