Review Summary: A good debut effort filled with catchy melodies
As Scarlet Stevens dreamily sings “Who’s gonna catch you now, who’s gonna catch you now I’m so far away, so far away,” complimented with a beautifully twinkling synth, San Cisco look like the best thing to happen to Australian music since Powder finger. San Cisco’s debut might be filled with poppy tunes and exciting hooks, yet unfortunately in parts it lacks uniqueness and replay value.
However, it would be wrong to dismiss San Cisco’s album as unremarkable. The album opener, Beach, is its highest point, featuring the lyrics quoted above. While the majority of San Cisco’s song are sung entirely by front man Jordi, parts are lifted up by the drummer Scarlet. Her voice is filled with maturity and shines through the band. Beach’s chorus is, in one word, uplifting. The bubbly synth is complimented by thick, peaceful chords. The lyrics take full advantage of the two singers, weaving a story of a former couple, one still mourning over their break up and the other happy in freedom. It’s typical of the entire album and the entire Australian Indie scene, simple, honest lyrics about simple things. And it works. Similar to Beach is Mission Failed, and it follows the same sort of structure that makes Beach so great. It’s filled with funky synth bass lines and utilises the contrast between the two singer’s vocal styles, who sound great singing in harmony.
Many of the songs on the album are fast paced, simple pop songs. In the case of No Friends, it’s a bit too simple. The song is filled with a fast paced bass riff consisting of only 4 notes and some furiously strummed guitar. Jordi’s vocals are quite well suited to the upbeat, pop style, and the song is certainly catchy, but it lacks interest that will keep you coming back after the first couple of listens. Stella suffers exactly the same fate. Popular single Fred Astaire is in a similar vein, but it’s slightly more heartfelt lyrics and more interesting instrumentation it becomes more of a stand out track, again showcasing the potential of San Cisco.
Amongst catchy songs, there is an unfortunate amount of filler here too. After a mostly consistant first half of the album, it begins to go downhill. Lyall is filled with runs of “Na na na na na na na” and quite frankly is annoying and tedious to listen to. Jordi’s voice lacks the necessary enthusiasm to pull this off, and even so there is very little going for this track musically. Metaphors and Toast similarly come off as merely ok tracks that are likely to be skipped after the first line.
Every single track on this album clocks in under 4 minutes. Many come in under under 3. It’s a quick and enjoyable listen showcasing some of the best Australian indie music produced in the last few years. At times it’s all too similar, with many unremarkable, upbeat tracks all blurring together. It’s a real shame that the band, certainly capable of writing beautiful slow songs (just give Reckless EP a listen) didn’t include a single slow paced acoustic number in the album. It’s not a deal breaker but could’ve added some much needed variety to the album. It’s certainly catchy, and has enough great songs to be worth a listen.
Recommended Tracks:
-Beach
-Mission Failed
-Fred Astaire
