Erik Chandler may have spent the past twenty something years as an integral part of Bowling For Soup, but the debut release for his side-project offers something very different. That’s not to say that fans of Bowling For Soup will be turned away by what they hear, but the purposefully mid-paced melodic rock of ‘The Truth’ is, bar one or two moments, as far removed from the cartoonish pop-punk of the former as is possible.
‘After 12’ is certainly a strong start and it acts as a reliable indication of what is to come. It may be less than groundbreaking lyrically but a solid garage punk beat drives the song along, and there’s a wealth of harmonies and melodies that hook you in. However it’s on ‘Tonight’s The Night’ that Erik offers up the first really memorable chorus, with the upbeat nature of the song both contrasting and complementing the tale of a relationship breaking down. The refrain of “Tonight’s the night that I’ll be leaving you” provides a hook that will tempt you into singing along whether on your own or surrounded by others.
Rather than test the waters with an EP or a few single releases, Erik Chandler has generously offered up thirteen songs, but there are a handful of tracks that could have been cut and ‘The Truth’ would be better off for it. ‘Push The Pedal’ and ‘You Were Gone’ are nothing more than textbook examples of polished and solid rock with both lacking personality, whereas the bright chorus of ‘It Ain’t Right’ is stuck in the shadow of the dull run-of-the-mill verses.
Aside from those songs however, ‘The Truth’ is packed full of quality, with ‘Where Did You Go’ in particular serving as the wake up call that the album desperately needed after almost losing its way. ‘Anna’ is memorable for its lean towards Americana, with the laidback delivery guiding your attention to the well-written story, whereas ‘Malibu Classic’ makes the most of simple but effective chord progression and a strong chorus.
Sometimes the quality is hidden beneath layers of familiarity and as good as ‘This Time’ is, it sounds more like a cover of some late-90s college rock minor hit than a new song. It’s not that ‘The Truth’ is lacking in ideas, but the sense that Erik Chandler is following the path of others rather than forging his own is hard to shake. ‘Did You Know’ treads on the toes of most other singer songwriter acts that have emerged from the pop punk scene, but it’s still likely to become a firm favourite after a couple of listens.
Throughout ‘The Truth’, Erik’s vocals sit on the right side of unpolished and he possesses a strong delivery that he perhaps hasn’t got to showcase so fully before. For all the times that some thinly disguised ideas make listening feel more like a game of spot the musical influence, ‘The Truth’ succeeds because of the strength of songs such as ‘Honestly’ and ‘Rudderless’. Whether or not The Erik Chandler Band will continue for years to come remains to be seen, but the potential is certainly there.
CHRIS HILSON