REVIEW: Myka, Relocate – ‘Lies To Light The Way’

October 14th, 2013

Kriston McConnell

Artist: Myka, Relocate
Album: Lies To Light The Way
Genre: Post Hardcore
Label: Artery Recordings / Razor & Tie

There are so many different bands in my music library, and I have no idea where half of them came from. There are some bands that I know for sure I found on MySpace, or YouTube, and more recently, Facebook. How did I come across their music though? And what made me decide to put their music in my library? Beats me. I do know I discovered Myka, Relocate awhile ago, and I had a pre-album version of “Natural Separation,” which was a song I’ve loved since I found it. I hoped they would break out and make it big, and now it looks like they are on that path with the release of their debut studio album, Lies To Light The Way.

The first thing I thought of when I heard the first couple of songs of Lies To Light The Way is that the clean vocalist’s voice resembles that of Andy Leo, the clean vocalist of Crown The Empire. The similarities are minor, and can’t be heard in every single verse.

The album opens with a short intro track, titled “Revolve.” The song features some synth paired up with guitars and unclean vocals that sound like a breakdown. The track then cleanly transitions into the next song, which is “Dead Ties.” If this song hooks you in right away, then you are going to enjoy all of the other ones.

My favorite track on this album is “Natural Separation.” It’s possible that’s because I’ve owned the original single for such a long time, and hearing a remastered version of it is refreshing. The clean vocalist shows off his range, hitting some very high notes at the very end of the song.

Another song worth mentioning is “Playing It Safe” featuring guest vocals by Jonny Craig. I think this is one of the more memorable tracks, and it’s incredibly catchy. Jonny’s part in the song isn’t huge, and I at first I didn’t realize it was his voice singing some of the verses. They did a great job taking a guest vocalist and meshing their voice seamlessly into the song, rather than making it painfully obvious that someone else is singing. This way, the song can be played live even if Mr. Craig isn’t around to sing his part.

Both the clean and unclean vocalists have great ranges. Hell, I’d enjoy the album just as much if there was just the clean vocalist singing. His voice really is what makes the album. The unclean vocalist deserves some recognition as well, as he delivers the heavyweight, mosh-worthy lyrics consistently in every track.

As far as the instruments go, there’s not much complexity. The band focuses more on the vocals, which I am a fan of. They have some synth mixed in throughout the album, but not as much as some of their fellow musicians in the same genre do. I would like to see them experimenting with different elements a little bit more, as that helps each track stand out more against one another. A perfect example of something like that is Dance Gavin Dance’s new album, Acceptance Speech. “Demo Team” is not like any other song on that whole album, and I can say for myself it was the first song that stuck out the most on my first listen.

While I really enjoy this album, it definitely feels familiar. I kept trying to put my finger on what about it sounded so familiar to me the entire time I listened to it, but I couldn’t quite figure that out. I will say though that it is nice to have some familiarity if you’re listening to a new band, that will help you make a connection with them more quickly and you might be more apt to like them. However, if you are looking for something that’s entirely different from what you’ve heard before, well then you are just in the wrong decade.

Overall, this is a solid release. Definitely one of my favorites to have the pleasure of reviewing thus far. This is an album that you can put on repeat and play it over and over without getting sick of it. If you like Crown The Empire or any other bands with similar sounds, then you will definitely dig this album. I’m excited to see what they are capable of as they develop more as a band. If you haven’t heard of them before, then this is a great time to get into their music.

SCORE: 8.5/10
Review written by Kriston McConnell