Eve 6, yes this is the same band that back in 1998 had a radio hit here in Australia with Inside Out, the song that saw the at the time teenagers “wanting to put their tender heart in a blender”. For me, Eve 6 is best defined by their second album Horrorscope which in the year 2000 was as close as I was getting to the hard rock I grew up on in the late 1980’s. The band had a knack for delivering crunchy pop punk rock, along with bands such as Marvelous 3, American Hi-Fi, SR71, Bowling For Soup and Lit. Well after going on an indefinite hiatus in 2004 following on from their third release It’s All In Your Head, Eve 6 have returned with their fourth album Speak In Code, an album full of irresistible addictiveness.
For those like me quietly hoping for an album along the lines of the harder edged guitar fuelled pop rock all over Horrorscope, from the outset you will be met with some slight disappointment as the Eve 6 of 2012 is one with a very slick sound, with keys, synth and programming dominating their sound, rather than guitars. I liken it to the way that American Hi-Fi and The Click Five have also headed down that direction. But rest assured, this is distinctively still Eve 6, even after returning after a 9 year hiatus. But I guess how could it not with the instantly identifiable vocal phrasings of vocalist Max Collins? Speaking of vocal phrasings, I don’t know what it is about Eve 6, but they seem to have a knack for embedding lyrical passages permanently into my brain. First album was the “heart in a blender”, Horrorscope had “like Jessica Rabbit”, this album my head has been buzzing with “we used to go bowling” in one of my favourite tracks Blood Brothers. Then there are the hooks, the album has plenty – you don’t have to listen to hard to find them, they will find you Trust Me, which incidentally is a cracker of a song!
If you never dug Eve 6 before, then this album isn’t going to change anything you may have thought about them previously. For those fans who have been waiting over 9 years for another Eve 6 release, it may take a few spins of this album to wrap your ears around the Eve 6 sound of 2012, but once you deal with that, sit back and enjoy what I have to say is their strongest collection of addictive pop songs yet. Whilst past albums may have been a little patchy, Speak In Code is strong from the outset with the driving bouncy pop of opener Curtain, through to the more understated closing track Pick Up The Pieces. Speak In Code is a mighty fine return and one that should please expectant Eve 6 fans, whilst also potentially bringing to the band a generation of new fans.
Essential Information
For fans of: Addictive pop rock!
Release date: 24 April 2012
Record label: Fearless Records
Producer: Don Gilmore
Website: www.eve6.com
