Toska Fall is a new Dutch band and It Falls Apart is their second EP. The band was started in 2017 for a shared love of '90s punk rock. Over these three lads added different influences to their mix. Think some melodic hardcore and some metal. I can appreciate it when bands mix more influences together into something quite their own.
After listening to this EP a couple of times I have to conclude that although these different influences are indeed there, they are not really mixed together. This makes this EP a bit incoherent. Most songs here are decent enough, but they don’t really fit together and the EP lacks flow because of that.
I’ll try to break it down for you. Opening song “It Falls Apart” is a catchy pop punk tune (with a video that is pretty funny, check it out!). It is pretty cliche, but that’s ok for me. I do think the flow of the lyrics could have been better at times. It is almost as if the message was more important than the flow. These lyrics are delivered with a gruff voice, stylistically reminding me of Hot Water Music.
The second song “Out Of Luck” is easily the most catchy song of the bunch. Again pop punk is the base on which is built, this time around some melodic hardcore elements are added. The simple chorus (a shouted “I am out of luck!”) invites you to join in. This song is a real crowd pleaser live. Next up is “Everything In Order”, this EP’s second single. It is the shortest track of the bunch and over within 1,5 minutes. Being so short and not really memorable (the first couple of times I listened to this EP I completely missed it and messed up the track order in my head because of it) I am a bit surprised this song is chosen for a single. The track features a riff that I associate with skatepunk and vocals are more shouted. The chorus break reminds me of Good Riddance a bit.
“News” starts with a riff that could feature on a Circle or a Loud Love album. Later on it moves into Hot Water Music territory. It’s more rocky than the other tracks and is quite catchy. “New Hope” is the metal track. Think riffs that could be on a cross-over record. The intentions are good, no doubt, but this track also does not have the right flow. Final song “Blue Key” closes the album with more pop punk.
The artwork deserves some special attention. It is a nice modern play on the classic Vanitas themed still life. There are plenty of hints towards the temporal nature of existence. A nice twist to this old theme by Jasek Selanski.
Musically this is all over the place, which is something I don’t really like. I hope for a new release they can tie these influences together a bit more.
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