There’s a lot riding on the shoulders of Dublin band Kodaline. With their soft-alternative-indie-rock tendencies their debut EP The Kodaline EP released in September 2012 garnered them a nomination in the BBC Sound of 2013 poll. It’s now about 10 months on since then and the four piece are ready to show the world their long player In A Perfect World.
If I was to liken their sound they’re very Snow Patrol and Elbow and Coldplay with occasional Mumford and Sons moments. There are a lot of soaring vocals and melodies littered throughout, as well as those -tug at your heartstrings- lyrics. Unsurprisingly the standout tracks are also the tracks that have featured on their EP’s which have garnered them such praise including All I Want as well as Pray, the latter in particular with a very dark sombre mood as it progresses into its booming crescendo.
In fact the ‘booming crescendo’ tends to make several appearances in songs, including the aptly titled High Hopes and also All Comes Down both of which feature a lot of wailing vocals from frontman Stephen Garrigan. After The Fall probably sticks out the most purely because it has the fastest rolling beats and charged piano chords to compel the songs pace and don’t forget those motivating lyrics. The wobbly whistling and mandolin strumming and harmonica intro to Love Like Thissounds like something the Mumford lads could’ve whipped up but it’s all pleasant and sweet and lovely sounding, just not as captivating as it could be.
Overall this is a fairly pasteurised album in that the majority of the songs tend to sound the same from an aural perspective. I really had much higher expectations of this record and feel somewhat deflated at the result and find myself tuning out and having this playing on constant repeat without paying too much attention. It’s good, but not as eargasmic as I anticipated, nor as varied as what you find with seasoned artists like the ones whom they sound strikingly similar too. In saying that though, it must be taken into consideration that Kodaline are still a very young band. They have so much potential to be that next big thing and fill the shoes of their aforementioned peers and I suspect that they will have a hand with that courtesy of several large festival appearances in the UK already lined up and a sound that is pleasing to the masses.
Review Score: 6.4 out of 10
In A Perfect World is out now in stores and on iTunes
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