Just Surrender - Phoenix review

Phoenix is the third release from New York rock band Just Surrender, yet another pop-rock-punk band that it is almost impossible to pigeonhole into any single category. They are undoubtedly a rock band, but they manage to incorporate different elements, such as the energy and melodies of Post-Hardcore and the catchy hooks more commonly associated with pop-rock. It's a mix that works very well for the band, particularly as they know how to write a catchy tune and deliver it over some impressive crunchy guitar riffs.

Another thing that I like about this band is that the two vocalists both sing 'properly' (god, I sound like my mum), but it's not the one singing, one shouting mixture that has become such a cliché of late. The vocal duties are also shared out more or less equally with the more poppy voice of Jason Maffucci and the metal stylings of Dan Simons working together extremely well. It's unusual to get a band of this type where both of the vocalists could be described as 'good singers' but here they are and for the most part they manage to stay away from the genre's typical vocal cliches.

It's an album that will certainly not appeal to everyone. If you scratch below the surface and listen to the lyrics there's a lot of emo angst underlying many of the songs. For example in the track 'On my own' we are treated to predictable lines like “I'm Falling to Pieces” and “I've seen things no man should ever see”. Aww, bless.

But this isn't high art. It's bouncy, poppy, hook laden fun and it is another band that is just perfect for the Warped tour generation, who will surely lap this up. No new ground is being broken here but Just Surrender do what they do extremely well, and certainly much better than many of the bigger bands in the genre.

Dizzy

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