This is an album review Written by Ashan Munesinghe @ Mish Mosh.
DrawCard - Modern Rivalry
Drawcard have already developed a dedicated, local fan base on The
Sunshine Coast in Queensland by supporting a number of touring acts in
their hometown. The four boys have already supported the likes of
Thursday, Taking Back Sunday and Underoath – and it shows in the growth
of their frenetic live performances.
The
year of 2004 was a critical one in the band’s history. It saw Paul
(guitar/lead vocals), Jesse (guitar/vocals), Mitch (bass/vocals) and
Andi (drums/vocals) make a collective decision to direct all their
youthful exuberance towards making music.
Drawcard
secured an important win in an Australia wide competition to find a
support for the 2006 Taste of Chaos tour. It saw them perform to over
10,000 people at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. Additionally, the
band’s own dedicated publicity rounds have seen the four boys come to
feature in U.S. Skratch magazine, and on compilation discs distributed
at the 2007 Vans Warped Tour.
The band’s debut self
titled EP showed up mysteriously on the desks at Amphead and impressed
instantly. That’s if you could call it an EP. The final product is more
of a digital DVD style mini-masterpiece, finely packaged too, in which
six scenes are provided. The available functions include anything from
listening to the band’s music, to watching some of their live show
content, to watching an interview and even to just revealing their
messy beachside lifestyles. That’s a ‘ten’ for presentation.
The
first two tracks (off the DVD) Radio and It’s On move at a rocky fast
pace and scream of uncontrollable young angst. They feature
delay-driven, melodic choruses. The music constantly goes back and
forth from screaming symphonies to drowned-out straight up rock vocals,
and it’s the timing of the vocal change-ups that add a rare blend of
hostility and sweetness to the tracks. It’s On, for instance, draws the
listener from the angst-ridden world of a Taking Back Sunday sound ¬–
to something more reminiscent of pure fire – like a Bullet for My
Valentine chorus.
The third track on the playlist, and
arguably the most serene and radio-friendly, is Waking Up. It talks
about the common emotion-riddled difficulty of seeing what’s important
and what’s right in front of your eyes. Lines similar to “One word, one
lie – is all I need to hear from you,” and “One chance, at life – the
misconception sweeping over you…” are indicative of Drawcard’s
simplistic but intuitive song-writing talents.
Tear
My Heart Out, the punkish, rocky-riffed fourth track is far less loving
– jumping around is the order of the day if this was played live.
Drawcard
faces a defining twelve months ahead. The band will have their debut
album, Modern Rivalry, produced by Sylvia Massy. Massy has previously
mixed albums for stellar international acts such as Queens of the Stone
Age, Tool and Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
Laughter and
joviality is a feature of the four boys’ relationship as band members,
and it plays a major role in their interactions with outsiders. For
instance, regarding the announcement that Massy would be giving the
final touches on the album, they said (amongst innocent laughter)
“Really happy… actually at first we didn’t even really know who she
was… then we found out, and we were stoked”. The honest, comical nature
shown by the boys is reminiscent of four like-minded surfy adolescents
who have grown up together, and shared a lot of defining memories as
friends. It’s reflected in their music.
The future
looks bright and attractive for these four promising Sunshine coasters,
and with some luck, the American market looms ahead.
Written by Ashan Munesingh