Rating: 3/5
Verdict: Stadium rock from the latest Shore boy rock band
Auckland five-piece the Earlybirds have been honing their sound with regular appearances on the local gig circuit for the past four years. Perhaps because of this, their much-anticipated album really needs to be heard live.
While it is packed with grandiose stadium-like tracks it fails to make a bold-enough statement about what sets the band apart from some of their North Shore predecessors like Midnight Youth. At least seeing them perform live gives listeners some idea of these guys' energy and charisma.
Lead singer Filip Kostovich has mastered pop-rock vocals that touch on the likes of Matthew Bellamy of Muse and is propped up by tight pop-rock riffs that would stand up on an international stage - it's a sound that has already seen them selected to play alongside local heavyweights like Pluto, the Feelers and Opshop.
But while it is slick and somewhat reminiscent of international acts it doesn't pack quite the emotional punch that will set them apart from other wannabes.
Opening with an epic Cold to the Touch, Favourite Fears continues to roll out the big drum-smashing, vocally-driven numbers that are mostly about heartache in some form or another. Other than their poppy second single I Killed the DJ, which sounds a little incongruous among the latest, more angsty releases, it is a collection of strong, jump-around songs, that unfortunately just don't sound all that different from one another.
-TimeOut
