Missing "oomph".
It has taken over five years for Birmingham-based indie rock quartet Rase to perfect a sound they are confident about. Since forming back in 2004 they have "raged" through various music genres but 2008 gave them a taste of what they wanted to focus on.
Since then they have defined a sound to call their own. With expressive music and meaningful lyrics they have developed these four tracks, starting with their debut single, ‘Nothing To Lose’. The upbeat song is ripe with melodious guitar riffs and has a chorus that is capable of pulling in your attention, for a while.
Unfortunately as the remaining three songs are played, a realisation comes to pass that there is actually nothing particularly intriguing, memorable or stand out. ‘No Excuses’ has a chorus that you want to tap to for its duration, but once it is finished your fingers can rest. ‘Kaleidoscope’ is slightly more relaxing and is placid even with the guitars becoming strong wielded it doesn’t excite and as for the concluding song ‘Outside Looking In’, it is just as memorable as the others.
Rase is in a genre they certainly have a passion for, but just needs that little bit more oomph to make it explode in your mind.