Alice Can’t Turn Left’s EP ‘Right Back Forward’ opens with promise – the chunky riff that resolves into the verse of first track ‘The Next Round’ is great. The female vocals that accompany this are slightly reminiscent of Letters From Cleo – the cheesy, pop-rock band that feature on the film 10 Things I Hate About You – and unfortunately, this isn’t a comparison that Alice Can’t Turn Left should appreciate. The mundane, monotonous tones aren’t particularly welcomable, and the staccato approach that opens ‘Blame Yourself’ lacks appeal. Sasha can sing, but her style comes across a little dated and reminiscent of American 90s college radio.
The compositon of the tracks is on the EP is there – solid riffs, a consistant formula and the occasional catchy chorus all feature in their respective places, but something about the final mix seems a little restrained. Alice Can’t Turn Left clearly wanted to bring something new to the table but unfortunately it seems the last seat just got taken and there’s no room for their end product here.
That said, the production and attitude to their EP is admirable. Nothing’s been polished to within an inch of its life here, ensuring that Alice Can’t Turn Left maintain their garage band appeal. Female fronted bands are notorious for resting on the “attractive front-women with attitude” approach and using them as a fast ticket to success, but it’s great that Alice Can’t Turn Left are a team effort and this shows through in their EP. Not an entirely lost cause, but nothing groundbreaking either.
CHERI FAULKNER