Last week The Vasco Era released their third album, a self titled effort that marks their independent debut. It’s impressive to hear the Melbourne band are going it alone, but on listening to it I wonder whether they need that record company guidance.
It all started out so promisingly with the opening track “Nah Nah Nah.” I loved the crunchy guitars and all those delicious melodic hooks. The vocals weren’t pretty, but I warmed to their Dylanesque charm. You get the sense that Sid O’Neil means what he sings, and that authenticity initially compelled me.
But as the disc wore on, the elements that were initially fun started to grate. All too often those impassioned vocals and wailing guitars just started to create a whole lot of noise. The band is at its best when it’s reined in. The stripped back “Chemicals Run Out,” for example, is stunning. But all too often the music is too unrestrained, and then it hurt my ears.
This album shows The Vasco Era are a band with a whole lot of potential, but they need to learn what works best for them, and what is merely self indulgent.