Gregory Robson
07/17/08, 07:10 AM
I Hate Kate - Embrace the Curse
Record Label: Glassnote Entertainment
Release Date: June 24, 2008
For roughly a year now, music insiders have been buzzing about the California trio I Hate Kate. After just a few listens to their new disc Embrace The Curse, it’s still baffling they’ve generated so much good buzz. While the group does has a knack for writing radio-ready choruses, securing crystalline production courtesy of Mark Trombino (blink-182, Jimmy Eat World) and boasting a heavy dose of commercial accessibility, it’s hard to take the band seriously with a song title like “I’m In Love with a Sociopath.”
The release feels very rooted in British punk and 21st century modern radio rock. That is to say the album feels like a strange mashup of The Kinks, The Killers and The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. The group is led by vocalist/songwriter Justin Mauriello, the former frontman for Zebrahead, which released three albums on Columbia/Sony and sold several thousands of units worldwide, including gold status in Japan. Yet with such sterling credentials, one would expect a bit more maturity and professionalism with this debut release.
Yes, the musical proficiency is there, and certainly on songs like “Story I Can’t Write” the band comes across as likeable. For further evidence of this listen to lead single “Bed of Black Roses,” which has been serviced to almost 300 radio stations, appeared on the FBMQ sampler, and was number one on Salt Lake City radio station X96. But for every radio-ready single there are banal and unimaginative songs like “Then You Kiss” and “Inside Inside.”
The band’s Purevolume page credits the band for possessing lyrics that “make you want to think,” “prompting further exploration” and for creating songs that “register on an emotional level.” Yet none of those ideas is really brought to the forefront on Embrace the Curse. Instead, it comes across as dance-heavy, party-inspired riffage with solid bass lines and inspired drumming. Songs like the arena-ready “It’s You,” are big and reaching and possess a charm that merits repeat listens, but over the course of twelve songs, the party-hardy, shake-your-ass vibe all becomes a little forced, a little worn-down and to be frank, quite tired.
While I Hate Kate has successfully managed to translate the energy and enthusiasm of their live shows to Embrace The Curse, in the end, there’s nothing wholly original, inspiring or mind-shaking about this album. And yet despite all that, it’s probably going to carry this band to the promised land.
Zebrahead, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Mark Trombino's production work
myspace.com/ihatekate (http://www.myspace.com/ihatekate)
Record Label: Glassnote Entertainment
Release Date: June 24, 2008
For roughly a year now, music insiders have been buzzing about the California trio I Hate Kate. After just a few listens to their new disc Embrace The Curse, it’s still baffling they’ve generated so much good buzz. While the group does has a knack for writing radio-ready choruses, securing crystalline production courtesy of Mark Trombino (blink-182, Jimmy Eat World) and boasting a heavy dose of commercial accessibility, it’s hard to take the band seriously with a song title like “I’m In Love with a Sociopath.”
The release feels very rooted in British punk and 21st century modern radio rock. That is to say the album feels like a strange mashup of The Kinks, The Killers and The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. The group is led by vocalist/songwriter Justin Mauriello, the former frontman for Zebrahead, which released three albums on Columbia/Sony and sold several thousands of units worldwide, including gold status in Japan. Yet with such sterling credentials, one would expect a bit more maturity and professionalism with this debut release.
Yes, the musical proficiency is there, and certainly on songs like “Story I Can’t Write” the band comes across as likeable. For further evidence of this listen to lead single “Bed of Black Roses,” which has been serviced to almost 300 radio stations, appeared on the FBMQ sampler, and was number one on Salt Lake City radio station X96. But for every radio-ready single there are banal and unimaginative songs like “Then You Kiss” and “Inside Inside.”
The band’s Purevolume page credits the band for possessing lyrics that “make you want to think,” “prompting further exploration” and for creating songs that “register on an emotional level.” Yet none of those ideas is really brought to the forefront on Embrace the Curse. Instead, it comes across as dance-heavy, party-inspired riffage with solid bass lines and inspired drumming. Songs like the arena-ready “It’s You,” are big and reaching and possess a charm that merits repeat listens, but over the course of twelve songs, the party-hardy, shake-your-ass vibe all becomes a little forced, a little worn-down and to be frank, quite tired.
While I Hate Kate has successfully managed to translate the energy and enthusiasm of their live shows to Embrace The Curse, in the end, there’s nothing wholly original, inspiring or mind-shaking about this album. And yet despite all that, it’s probably going to carry this band to the promised land.
Zebrahead, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Mark Trombino's production work
myspace.com/ihatekate (http://www.myspace.com/ihatekate)