After nearly two years hiatus, Finch finally return in recorded form with a new self-titled EP. Now I loved ‘Say Hello to Sunshine’ and still listen to it as one of my favourite modern rock records. Sadly it seems that wasn’t the case for a large enough chunk of their fanbase, who didn’t like it as much as debut full length ‘What it is to Burn’. I always found that a massive shame and it must’ve really screwed with the band who, as far as fans of S.H.T.S. were concerned, had honed their sound to an unique and matured new level.
After much pondering one can only assume that those who didn’t enjoy the second album were too hung up on the ballad-y post punk elements of What it is to Burn to embrace the new sound Finch. Songs such as Letters to You and Stay With Me had gotten a lot of radio play around the time Finch really blew up commercially, and presumably fans who enjoyed that sound were hoping for more of the same – why? well ask record promoters and they’ll tell you, it sells! (see current pop punk crap such as Fall Out Boy and Kids in Glass Houses for examples of cash injection pop success).
Sadly originality and ‘trying something fresh’ is often badly recieved – sometimes fairly as bands ‘go off on one’ with a new idea, but I always found the evolved Finch to be just that, evolved – with new time signatures, interesting use of guitar effects, massively ranging vocals in terms of style and sound, and generally a sound to the album that no other band had to offer.
In the time away, Finch hasn’t capitulated to the fans who disliked Say Hello to Sunshine, moreover – their new EP released this month seems like a band finally ready to say fuck it and carry on precisely where they left off with album # 2. With 4 tracks in all, it may seem like a tepid comeback, but the new material still sounds as fresh as Say Hello To Sunshine upon its release, with Barcalow’s vocal range and Strohmeyer’s creative guitar writing shining through as ever.
Opener ‘Daylight’ is most reminiscent of tracks from ‘..Sunshine’, and has some fantastically catchy hooks, but the band soon progress to show off further development with the other 3 tracks, sounding in places like some of the more interesting bands to emerge during their hiatus – Fall Of Troy being one that springs to mind listening to the EP. Don’t get me wrong here – i’m certainly not accusing Finch of plagiarism, i’m actually enjoying the influences these guys seem to have had whilst re-evaluating the band’s future.
The EP is available on iTunes only at the moment (press a cd damn it!) but presumably when they can afford to, a full commercial release could follow – so buy it from itunes and support this criminally overlooked band! click here for the purchase page.
finch 2008
