Without the luxury of a well-honed sound to fall back on or a sizeable fanbase eagerly awaiting every new song, it can be hard for any band to create interest ahead of launching their debut EP. Light The Way have signed to Indie Vision Music for the digital only release of ‘Grace’ and, although they’re clearly very proud of every song, the reaction from the wider world is likely to be lukewarm at best.
‘Note To Self’ kicks off with an intro that every pop punk band is legally required to use as crunchy melodic guitars tease the hook that the song is built around. Positive lyrics “Be the change that you want to see, rearrange your priorities” will be warmly greeted and passionately sung along to by fans but the familiar sounding vocals don’t inject the emotion that you would expect from a modern pop punk band.
‘Black Waves’ is the token fast song, made up of equal parts skate punk and Set Your Goals’ vocal interplay. It’s a bit blink and you’ll miss it but it’s also where Light The Way show the most promise. As ‘Grace’ progresses, so more pop punk staples find their way into the EP. ‘BRKN’ is the slightly darker and moodier counterpart, both lyrically and musically, but the drumming is underwhelming and it’s a wasted opportunity to inject some personality into the record.
Unfortunately it’s all downhill from here as Light The Way sink further into mediocrity. ‘I’m Sorry’ features a weak and irritating guitar line that resurfaces throughout the song but it lacks any flare or craft and is more annoying every time it appears. Rounding out ‘Grace’ is not one but two acoustic songs, although one is merely an unplugged rendition of ‘Note To Self’. It’s rare to get filler on a short EP, but the acoustic version adds nothing to the release and doesn’t offer anything different to the full band version aside from the obvious absence of amps. ‘Scatterbrained’ is an original song, but the poor production means the strings, vocals, and guitars sound out of step with each other.
Light The Way have spoken about how they weren’t aiming for a specific sound when they recorded ‘Grace’, stating that the end result sounded like “a massive marriage of all the bands we listen to everyday”. Whilst they’re clearly happy with the end result, the lack of a clear identity is a real obstacle that, quite simply, they fail to overcome. If you’re desperate for new pop punk to get your teeth into then you may find something to enjoy. For everyone else, you’ll get more enjoyment listening to the many other bands that Light The Way clearly look up to.
CHRIS HILSON