Let Me Run – Meet Me At The Bottom
XOXO Records

Rating:  

Like a lot of bands, Let Me Run stacked their best material at the start of their latest album, Meet Me At The Bottom

“The Count of Monte Fisto” starts the album, Meet Me At The Bottom, off strong. Once the song really started up, my ears perked up, and I instantly heard the Hot Water Music influences. The vocals are rough, and the melodies are very catchy and likable. The second track, “We bring the booze“, snuck up on me. It sounds really close to the first track. Good stuff if you like melodic punk, with some angst mixed in.

After the 4th song I noticed the band losing steam. The songs started getting more up beat and happy sounding, and the vocals weren’t so gravelly, and the music wasn’t so driving. It was a gradual downshift if you listen straight through, but skipping around the tracks it’s easier to hear.

Track 5, “Here’s My Destroyer” is the bands mellow effort on the album. This track seems really forced to me. It features an acoustic guitar and lots of poppy backing vocals. I just didn’t really believe them. The song didn’t feel sincere at all. The “Make it loud, Make it loud, MAKE IT MOTHER FUCKING LOUD!” part was out of place, it sounded fake, so did all the backing “wha uh uh uh uh oh ohws”. filler.

One thing I really noticed about this album was how it felt like they were all over the map within the constraints of melodic punk. Hot water music, Alkaline Trio, Hot Rod Circuit, it’s got some of it all, and it’s easy to hear the influences.

Overall, for being a new band these guys have a really tight sound. This album is their first effort, and feels like they are trying to discover themselves, and just haven’t picked a signature style yet. Once they nail it all down, I think this band could do big things. Check this band out if you like Gaslight Anthem and Hot Water Music.

My favorite tracks on the album by far were the first 2 tracks. I was hoping that they were going to set the stage for the rest of the album, but all they did was set me up for a gradual letdown. I’m not saying the album is bad at all, I was into it, I just wish it would of stayed at the same intensity as the first 2 songs.