Posthumous reviews are odd things. As a reviewer you tend to look at such as a band’s legacy with the impending review lending itself almost to a tone of eulogy. When ‘Plan A’ was released back in October, it wasn’t meant to be a swan song, quite the opposite actually. It was prepared as the record that would introduce FATE OF A STRANGER. A few months down the line the band has called it quits and, finally, laid this CD in Punktastic’s grimey mitts.
Having peppered the live scene for a good couple of years now, ‘Plan A’ marks the debut offering from the Luton/Dunstable quintet. It’s taken a while but that’s turned out to be beneficial because the first thing you notice about the EP/mini-album (call it what you like) is how polished, crisp and professional it sounds. It’s also apparent that the band has progressively worked their way to a discernable style. Built around a post-hardcore mould (an obvious influence would be Funeral For A Friend) Fate Of A Stranger add a level of pop-rock, particularly in terms of vocals.
Musically this is sharp stuff. Technically intricate at times (‘Brand New Sky’ is mechanically methodical, whilst ‘3’s A Crowd’ has some chugging riffs and boombastic drums); it still maintains an accessibility that works well with the poppier element. In short it doesn’t overthink itself. ‘The Devil Makes Work For Idle Bands’ is an introspective acoustic number that makes for a nice mid-album breather, even if it is a little clichéd.
If there’s a knock on the band it’s that they haven’t really produced an epic chorus to really reach out and grab your eardrums. ‘Plan A’ comes close on a couple of occasions but doesn’t quite get there. In terms of the record also, the final track order doesn’t quite work. ‘How Wrong Was I?’, a song written to be played live if ever there was one, with its sing-along moments and buzzing guitars is the obvious closer which means ‘The Proof Is In You, Pudding’, the actual closer, feels a little superfluous. The latter needs to be bumped up the order or bumped altogether.
Ultimately, in terms of legacy then, ‘Plan A’ stands upright and proud. It’s a good record, and a very good first-timer by a young band. It’s flawed of course, but the positives far outweigh the negatives. Fate Of A Stranger can reflect contentedly.
ALEX HAMBLETON