It’s amazing what first impressions can do isn’t it? I took one look at the artwork and biography that accompanied the debut release from Orange and knew instantly that I was going to hate it. Here were a group of kids from the UK and US that seemed to have had an image crafted fro them. However, after criticising the appearance of the band I decided to do the decent thing and actually judge them on their music. This, then, is ‘Welcome to the World of Orange‘.
It’s amazing what second impressions can do isn’t it? Having written off Orange before I’d even heard them, I was forced to eat my words following the eleven tracks that make up this album. Yes, the bands’ image is atrocious and needs fixing quickly, but Orange have a hell of a lot of potential. Mixing touches of Rancid and Social Distortion with elements of pop-punk, this four-piece have crafted a very enjoyable debut.
‘Hollywood’ kicks things off in style with a rousing damnation of the song’s title. They may be young, but Orange manage to combine a decent blend of humour and intelligence in their lyrics, which are delivered with snarling efficiency by Joe Denman. ‘Cool Mexicans’ raises the bar for the band and is one of the best tracks on offer here. Occasionally the band let standards slip and show their adolescence, most notably in the cringe-worthy ‘Why won’t she go out with me’. The dips in quality are rare though, and for the main part this is highly entertaining stuff, if not a tad unoriginal. The likes of ‘Attitude’, ‘Ghetto-Blasta’ and the tongue-in-cheek ‘Orange‘ will have you smiling despite yourself.
Orange as a band shouldn’t work. Both their age and their image would have you believe this would be standard and stereotypical mass-marketed pop-punk. However, behind the façade lies a band that write solid songs and have the good sense to not taken themselves too seriously. ‘Welcome to the World of Orange‘ is a great little debut and I urge you to check these guys out. At the risk of getting sued – the futures bright – the futures Orange!
Mark