Artist: Our Last Night
Album: Oak Island EP
Genre: Hard Rock / Post Hardcore

“Whatever you do in life will be insignificant, but it’s very important that you do it, because nobody else will.”

The Gandhi quote from the film Remember Me sounds monumental as it’s playing out over a build-up of ominous guitars and synthesizers that lead into the opening track of Our Last Night’s new EP, Oak Island. Unfortunately, this motif doesn’t apply to the subsequent 26 minutes of music. Everything here has been done before; Our Last Night have broken no new ground with their new EP. Despite its impressive presentation and catchy songs, Oak Island suffers from an overabundance of cliches that do nothing to set the release apart from other, more impressive recent releases.

Oak Island is Our Last Night’s first all-original release since last year’s tepidly received full-length, Age of Ignorance. Stemming from the fulfillment of their contract with Epitaph Records and a successfully funded IndieGoGo campaign, the EP contains seven new full-band songs. Taking a cue from the recent success of Sleeping with Sirens, the majority of Oak Island leans toward radio-friendly hard rock and further scales back the typical metalcore sound the band is known for. Nothing here would sound out of place on modern rock radio. Most of the screaming and metal influences are gone, in favor of more traditional four-chord progressions and soaring choruses. Traces of growling and chugging in the title track and “Dark Storms” along with the southern flavor of pseudo-ballad “Sunrises” help break up the pace, but the majority of the record is bogged down by its monotony. While a few of the tracks are catchy enough to stay in your head, the slowed down pace and simpler song structures occasionally sound disingenuous and cheesy. “Scared of Change” is the standout track, playing with rhythms in the first verse and speeding up the pace of the EP considerably. The track will likely be a live staple and fan favorite, while the lyrics of “Sunrises” will undoubtedly contribute to passionate fans’ Facebook statuses for years to come.

The band recorded the EP in-house and attribute production to guitarist Matt Wentworth. Effective use of synths, clean piano, and some surprising guitar tones do a lot to mix up the overall sound of the record, but some of the engineering leaves a lot to be desired. The bass track is practically non-existent in the mix, which contributes to how tame the record sounds. Our Last Night are at their best when they’re fast and raw, and most of the tracks come off as cheesy because of the slick production style. The last minute of the title track does an excellent job in fusing the mainstream-friendly hard rock style with the heavier side of the band, hopefully showing a glimpse into the future of the band.

Oak Island explores a lot of new styles for Our Last Night without ever breaking new ground or progressing the genre. The songs are catchy and slick, but hardly memorable. Oak Island successfully plays it safe, but after ten years as a band, Our Last Night are long overdue in taking a risk with their music.

SCORE: 6/10
Review written by: John Bazley

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Brian Leak

Editor-In-Chief. King of forgetting drinks in the freezer. Pop culture pack rat. X-Phile. LOST apologist.

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