For fans of Clothes Make the Man, their recently released Control EP will make the wait for the band’s forthcoming album, Distance, a little easier.
The band knows how to write a song that will grab their listener’s attention. The only problem is, they seem to have written every song with that same formula.
Clocking in at just under 12 minutes, the EP offers listeners a good teaser of what’s to come on Distance: lots of bass, decent lyrics and hooks aplenty.
Control opens with “Cruisin’.” Lyrically, this song is the weakest of the four, its lyrics riddled with metaphors about driving. The result seems forced, and combined with simple rhymes, it’s ineffective.
Lyrical weakness aside, the song still hooks the listener with its many dynamic shifts.
After a short, guitar-heavy intro, the track breaks down into the verse, with only a simple lead line and percussion supporting Ryan McLennan’s voice. At the chorus, the heavy guitar returns only to recede once more.
“Dreamless Nights,” which was released as the EP’s single, is a reflective and honest song that mixes thoughtful vocals with music that’s almost anthemic. “The whole world’s watching, the whole world wants so much more,” McLennan sings.
The rhythm that drives “Mean What I Say” is danceable and upbeat, and once the song hits the first chorus, it’s impossible not to be at least tapping a foot to the beat.
The EP closes with the brief “Wide Eyes Shout.” The track starts off sleepily, but like the other three songs, the hook comes in the first chorus.
Overall, the Control EP is a decent sample of what listeners can expect to hear on Distance. The main drawback to CMTM’s latest effort is its formulaic quality. All four tracks follow the same pattern: they start off with light instrumentation in the verse that draws attention to the lyrics. Then we hear the heavy guitar and the band drops the hook into the chorus.
They’re good songs, but they’re all the same in terms of structure.
The Control EP is a good listen; just don’t expect any surprises.