The Soft Pack: S/T

When we first caught wind of The Soft Pack (way back when they were named The Muslims, which we still prefer) we were genuinely excited by their cocky, fresh-faced American indie-rock.

After a brief name change and a stint in the studio to record what is now this very self-titled début under scrutiny here, it seems the band - like many others in their field - have fallen prey to what shall now be called 'the routine syndrome'. What we mean is that after a promising E.P and a quick injection of hype, the band have already run out of steam, trading in refreshing musicianship for middling, unimaginative banality.

It's bold and sprightly but equally as empty, never offering much more than a bunch of simple guitar riffs and a dose of hearty vocals to fill out the thirty minutes. Take away The Strokes' personality, the staggering vocalism and intelligent pace of Bombay Bicycle Club, the passion of old Kings Of Leon and the struggling left-overs pretty much make up the bulk of The Soft Pack's troubled début. It could even be described as - dare we say it -  an American take on The View.

There's nothing tangible to the music, no substance to the lyrics or majesty to the instrumentation. They stick as close to the indie-rock structure as is humanly possible and never once dare to step away from the trodden path even once. Album opener C'mon displays exactly what the band are going to be doing for the next half an hour and reinforces their inability to see past the direct route ahead."Don't have the look, don't have the name, don't have the walk, don't wanna talk, don't act the same, now your town could be the next big thing" begins front-man Matt Lamkin over an admittedly catchy melody. It never differs once though, never dares to break the mould and just continues its pattern for the rest of its dwindling two-minute duration. 

Moving down the track-listing and you've got the underwhelming repetition of Down On Loving, the hyperactive but flimsy Move Along that could've been the album's stand-out 'anthem' if it wasn't so focused on keeping its cocaine-super-speed the entire time and the oddly similar sounding Flammable that uses the same tricks as almost every other song present (quick pace, boastfully repetitious vocals, smashing cymbals and lo-fi aesthetics). Every song mentioned sits somewhere within the two-minute mark and each fail to leave an actual discernible mark once they've concluded.

We weren't expecting anything necessarily ground-breaking or show-stopping from the San Diego foursome but what we were hoping for was a little more density and character than what the début offers. It's generic, easy and completely by-the-numbers but it ticks all the boxes needed for an indie band to enter the up-and-coming scene and it's only because of that reason that you'll more than likely be seeing a lot more of The Soft Pack in 2010.