Late Review - Diving In Too Deep

  by Kelly Smith

published: 6 / 12 / 2008

Label: Diffusion Records
Format: CDS

intro

Stilted, hesitant ska funk on debut single from south east-based English trio, the Late Review

If you start listening to this song right now, you can follow the sentence underneath and see if we’re on the same page when it comes to our thoughts - This is all right. No wait, it’s good. Actually, this bit’s really good. Ah no, wait, it’s all right. This bit’s brilliant! Ah, no, it’s gone terrible. The end bit’s all right. See what I mean? On balance, it’s no more or less than those initial thoughts I had, and you would probably have. Rolling on a mid-tempo ska-funk underbelly, the weird breaks in beat and vocal don’t do anything for the tune. The bridge and the chorus are excellent, and if the song maintained that rhythm for longer than 20 seconds it could be onto a winning formula. Except it doesn’t, and the result is a stilted, hesitant song that fails to really move me because the change of pace stops any real momentum. The Late Review are a three-piece indie band from the south east, comprising Terry Godden (vocals/guitar), Alex Bandle (drums) and Sam Purvis (bass), and 'Diving In Too Deep' is their debut single. No doubt they’ll find a niche market before long because they’ve written a good song, they just haven’t written a great song. It’s poppy but not groundbreaking, and indie but not innovative. It’s frustrating, in a sense, because I’d like to write something radical and moving but there’s no inspiration from the Late Review to convey anything other than if you feel compelled to listen to it, I see no reason you shouldn’t. Basically, I’m underwhelmed. I probably shouldn’t be, and they’ll probably be number one within six weeks, in which case I’ll happily eat my words, but this generic brand of indie really needs a shake-up before long. It’s not the Late Review’s fault; 'Diving In Too Deep' is all right. Bits of it are great. Just for next time, if they tried something different, I’d be more than impressed.

Track Listing:-