Album Review

Save Your Breath – There Used To Be A Place For Us

• 7th Oct 2013

Welsh band ‘Save Your Breath’ are due to release their second album in the UK on the 7th October, followed by a US release on the 8th. The album has a powerful and challenging name: ‘There Used to be a Place for Us’.

Yes, I agree, there used to be a place for them… around 15 years ago.

The opening song, Lessons, is a strong and well-structured number which really lets us see their potential, and to feel their energy and dynamic. It’s a shame then, that after this promising opening our hopes are deflated by the second song, Whole. Staid chord progressions and unimaginative drum beats mark out the classic punk-pop sound which was so prolific in the early 2000’s, but is now sadly outdated. There are a couple of big catchy songs in Harrow Road and The World Is Yours (partly because these two songs are practically indistinguishable) but they are not sufficiently interesting to leave a lasting impression. One of the later tracks, Airs & Graces, starts off as the obligatory ballad song, but rapidly reverts to the generic sound of previous tracks.

Strangely, the final track and title number is a departure from the otherwise repetitive tone of the album. It features haunting vocals and an almost ambient tone which seems completely disjointed from the overall product, made all the more peculiar by its position of the title track.

While Save Your Breath are a well-polished act and clearly talented individuals, they seem to have unfortunately chosen to channel this talent into creating a forgettable imitation of a tired musical genre.

– Imya Nayto

Venue: There Used To Be A Place For Us
Support Band: Animal Style Records