Album Review

The Actual – In Stiches

• 20th Oct 2007

The Actual are a Californian quartet who have recently supported Velvet Revolver on their Spring club tour. Being in such esteemed company would, you could imagine, knock them off their stride, but this album is a credible work that shows how gigging amongst the biggest can inspire and cajole that little bit extra effort and make a good record.

Not as heavy as Slash and co., the Actual are more of a less glamorous, slightly darker Goo Goo Dolls. The songs all possess pop choruses that are twinned with not as singable or memorable verses. This, the band’s second album, is a lighter affair than their first and a more mature offering as shown in ‘If You See Her’ and ‘Needle Park’, combining pop-hooks and observations of everyday life that would not necessarily otherwise have found each other.

The album is produced professionally and as a whole, is a decent listen through. It is a bit American-rock-by-numbers, but in a way that gives the band room to move and flaunt their own ideas without alienating their target audience. At 13 tracks it is perhaps a little long, but given the right mood the 45 minutes will fly past without a blink.