The problem with so many of those bands that sound like Brand New is that very few of them are compelling enough to stand on their own two feet. The real difference with Equal Vision’s latest signing, the Nashville-based band Better Off, is that this band truly gets it. Sure, Better Off write plaintive, emotive songs that pack a lyrical and musical punch, but never on the band’s upcoming label debut, Milk, does Better Off feel like a copycat. Further, so very many bands could and should learn a thing or two from what makes Milk so successful. “Empty Handed” has starts off with a big, meaty distorted riff that leads into an even bigger hook. It’s the type of song that you want to tell all your friends about. “Dresser Drawer” is lyrically smart without resorting to “look how clever…
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…we are” clichés. Really, the whole record feels much more substantial than anything else the scene has produced recently.
Sure, much of Milk sounds somewhat familiar (“Whatever I Don’t Care” sounds especially like a Brand New song written between Your Favorite Weapon and Deja Entendu), but that doesn’t really hinder the album’s enjoyment. In fact, Better Off is adeptly able to utilize that comforting sound in its favor. Few are as talented at writing songs or composing hooks as singable as those found on the band’s label debut. Further, while there really aren’t too many disappointing tracks, the tail end of the record is where Milk‘s fun starts to spoil; at 13 songs, the record definitely could’ve been shortened to good effect. The fact that the weakest track is titled “Unhappy” is humorous.
While so many in the emo/grunge resurgence scene are happy to translate diary notes into songs, Better Off is writing the type of tunes that have that classic feel. No, Milk isn’t a classic, but the fact that you can tell the band really tried to write something that has lasting value shows. In fact, the band is so much closer to writing a classic than they have any right to be. Who knows? By the sounds of Milk, Better Off is not far off from writing the next great rock record.
1. Empty Handed
2. Dresser Drawer
3. Suicide Island
4. This Day Will Never End
5. Unhappy
6. You’re Alright
7. Interlude
8. Whatever I Don’t Care
9. A Lesson In Loving
10. Bella Disorder
11. Spinning
12. Mary In Chains
13. Myself In A Pill