Album Review

Tonight Alive – The Other Side

• 10th Sep 2013

Tonight Alive, recently voted amongst Australia’s top 10 bands of all time, release their second record ‘The Other Side’ ahead of a European tour kicking off this month. Bearing in mind that they were voted into the Australian hall of fame by actual Australians, and that the band only formed in 2008, that’s a pretty big deal – despite the fact that they came in sandwiched between Men at Work and The Ordinary Fear of God (Russel Crowe’s band). ‘The Other Side’ is an offering which will certainly please the band’s army of fans, whose deity, Jenna McDougall, will continue to influence thousands of bedroom walls, you tube covers and wet dreams across the globe. The difficult second album, made even more difficult by the astronomic success of the first, was always going to be a toughie. However, by Jove, they may have done it.

The record kicks off with ‘The Ocean’, a distortion heavy, powerful number which introduces a slightly darker feel. The track plays on the bands’ strengths: a rousing chorus, elements of light and shade, shredding riffs and kinetic drumming. Lyrically, we get a classic metaphor heavy emo rock tale of a speaker who feels full of confusing and powerful emotion, is acutely aware of their own potential and probably likes to go for long solo walks on wet sand. The image works perfectly, the song is put together with crashing choruses, swells of piercing riffs and a convincing delivery. Moving onto the next track, ‘Don’t Wish’, we get much of the same in the form of strong composition, a solid level of angst and a runaway train of pacey riffs and drums. A rousing ‘screw you’ to an ex, the song experiments with well executed atmospheric break downs. Strolling neatly into ‘Lonely Girl’, the angsty momentum of this record continues to form excellent stadium ready singalong pieces.

There was no way Tonight Alive could get away without including a smattering of ‘wwooooaaahhh ohhhhh’ ‘s, a proper bit of girl power and tunes that fans will spend hours trying to learn. Successfully, Tonight Alive have created a collection of songs that fans will relate to, and wouldn’t be out of place on a teen movie sound track. Beyond the stereotypical connotations of their genre (which are of course part of it’s charm), the young band have created a record which listeners of all walks of life will struggle not to like. Throughout the record, Jenna McDougall delivers a flawless and mature vocal. The lyrics are honest, often embarrassingly touching, and seem to share a very personal sense of insecurity. Musically, the band explore different textures. ‘Hell and Back’ has a 90’s feel, with poppy elements and all the power chords you could wish for. Single ‘The Other Side’ is a cute as hell, an ultimate ode to first love. With ‘Fire’ comes a heavier, riff driven sound, with a powerful vocal from McDougall and driving bass from Adler. Tracks ‘Complexes’ and ‘No Different’ resurrect the dejected side to the band, with a darker tone added to the band’s signature building power choruses, and flashes of self belief contrasted with vulnerability.

What is really striking about this record, is the way in which songwriter McDougall opens herself up, singing from a perspective which poses her as both a strong, feisty female and a sensitive character, wrought with insecurity and confusion. Essentially, a totally normal, accessible young woman. ‘Come Home’ is a sugary sweet love song followed by ‘Bathwater’, a dark, emotional song which is sure to be a fan favorite encore tune for a long time to come. ‘Say Please’, a ballsy, honest, catchy tune finishes the record with a felling of growth through pain, completing what seems like an emotional maturation across the record. Musically, the album gives a platform for the band to experiment a little, whilst keeping neat composition, solid melodies and brilliantly driving drums and bass lines. ‘The Other Side’ is the difficult second album. Mostly, because it’s difficult to fault. At worst, it could be accused as being musically very safe. With an army of fans to please, an already winning formula and the pressure of being squished in between Russell Crowe and Men At Work, Tonight Alive really have done an excellent job.

‘The Other Side’ echoes the best of much pop punk: an honest approach to the darker side of life, and the instillation of a sense of potential, hope and power. With 11 rousing soon-to-be anthems, this record is set to cement Tonight Alive as a band with much more to come.

– Zoe Edwards

Venue: The Other Side
Support Band: Sony